Welcome To The Black Doves
by badkittyitachi
Summary: Deimeon comes from his world to make a home on Earth. He becomes the Singer of a worldwide band called The Black Doves. They go on tour and have a band known as Suicide Angels to be their opening act. What happens when creatures from his world cross over.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome To The Black Doves**

**Chapter 1- Joining The Black Doves**

Cherish O'Riley sat at the table in her two bedroom townhouse that she shared with her younger brother, Drake O'Riley. They had lived here for a couple of years now. Ever since her father had found out that her brother was in a band and she was managing it.

Her father had hit the roof and disowned both of them in a heartbeat. Her father stopped paying for her college and she was refused the family business. The biggest Cruise Line in America, Europe, and Japan.

It was fine by Cherish. She never wanted to be a part of the business that made their parents neglect Drake and Chloe, their youngest sister, and controlled every moment of Cherish's life.

She let out a heavy sigh. Her face was buried in her hands, elbows on the table top with the phone sitting between them completely forgotten. She had been on the damn phone all day with nothing to show for it.

She had a splitting headache that was getting worse by the second. It didn't help that Suicide Angels was jamming away in the car garage that was connected to the house. What in god's name was she thinking to get herself dragged into this?

She glanced at the clock through her fingers. Six o'clock at night and she was still waiting on a phone call from the manager of The Black Doves. They were the biggest worldwide band that originated from Japan. No matter where people went, the Black Doves were promoted.

It was a lucky chance that Cherish was able to meet with the same recorded company the The Black Doves went through. The company listened to Suicide Angel's debut CD and loved them. Now Cherish was trying to set up a concert schedule with different bands, in hopes of getting her band approved to being the opening set.

She got a hold of The Black Doves manager's number and decided to give it a try. She was sent to voice mail. She wasn't going to leave a message, but she did. Now she was feeling stupid for doing so.

She leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. She decided that she wasn't touching the phone again. Everyone could go to hell. She was going to cuddle up on the couch with a warm cup of tea and a flannel blanket, watch a movie.

It had been a long time since she had actually got to just stay at home and relax. She had to admit that it was hard to do that with Rock music vibrating the walls. She pushed away from the table and sauntered into the kitchen.

Deimeon groaned. He didn't want to do this again. He was being dragged to this drug deal practically by a leash. This was normal though. Haven, Deimeon's best friend and band manager, always made him go along.

Even though Have was the manager of the most popular band in the world, he still reverted back to his old ways of a street dealer. That how Deimeon had met him, so many years before The Black Doves were ever created.

Deimeon knew it was because Haven liked making his own money. He didn't like the idea of a bunch of 'fags' making money for him. Fags meant the band. Haven always called them that. It was like a loving pet name for them all. Haven would never admit that though.

Haven always said he owed a lot of his friends from the days previous to meeting Deimeon, which was another reason that Haven insisted on doing this. Deimeon just assumed Haven just couldn't truly let go of this part of his past.

Deimeon would always be dragged along as muscle. While the others on the street knew nothing about the beast inside him, they knew the strength he had. Anytime a deal went bad, Deimeon quickly resolved it with his speed, strength, and naturally bulletproof body.

Word of his apparent invincibility spread fast through the major cities. The mention of Deimeon and Haven often had street dwellers turning heads or wetting themselves. Heaven help them if they didn't have Haven's money. Deimeon had no interest in human matters and only accompanied Haven to protect him. Luckily this deal went well, with no need for violence.

Haven slide back into the driver seat of the car and sighed in satisfaction. He lit a cigarette and started the car. Deimeon was happy they were finally going home. He hated being out in the cold. The frigid temperature was always hard to hunt in. Not to mention his elfin like ears seemed to release more body heat then human ears. Deimeon wrapped his deep red Black Doves scarf around his face and covered his pointy ears.

"Haven? Weren't you supposed to call that manager at five?" Deimeon suddenly remembered something as he stared at the Logo on his scarf.

Looking at his watch, Haven lifted his eyebrows in mock surprise. "Ah... Shit..." he mumbled through the filter of his cigarette. "That was quite some time ago."

"You should probably call her." Deimeon urged.

Haven pulled out his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his call history while flicking his eyes to the road. Haven finally found the number and clicked on it. He pressed the phone to his ear and then ashed the cigarette that had been hanging from his lips.

The phone rang just as the movie was getting good. Cherish spun around and glared at the small hand held like it had was her father. She turned back to her movie determined on ignoring it.

"Are you going to get that?" Drake inquired as he came out of the kitchen with a Coke Cola in hand.

"No!" Drake chuckled at his annoyed sister and picked up the phone.

"O' Riley Residence. Drake speaking." He answered cheerfully.

"This is Haven." The man's words seemed to slurry together. "I need to speak with Cherish O'Riley about the Suicide Angels touring with us."

Drake almost dropped the phone in shock and then excitement. He placed his hand over the mouth piece of the phone. He turned to face his older sister who was still acting like she wasn't interested in the phone at all.

"It's for you sis."

"Forget it. The phone and I aren't getting along tonight. It can go to hell." Cherish called over her shoulder.

Drake grounded his teeth in aggravation, hoping Haven wasn't hearing his sister being a complete bitch. He glared at her with as much venom as he could muster. She rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Cherish, you want to take this call for Suicide Angels."

"Goddamn it Drake, all I want to do is have a peaceful night and … Oh." She suddenly realized what Drake meant. "Oh my god, is it the manager of the Black Doves?" She whispered almost horrified.

"Duh!" Drake whispered back.

Cherish threw the flannel blanket off her lap and vaulted the back of the couch. She snatched the phone from Drake. She glared daggers at him as she cleared her throat. 'Why didn't you say something?' she mouthed placing the phone to her ear. Her brother just shrugged.

"This is Cherish O'Riley." She stated in her best professional voice.

"Haven Yakawa. I really hope this is the manager. I don't like phone pass."

"Sorry. I hadn't expected anymore phone calls tonight. I am the manager of Suicide Angels. What can I do for you this late in the evening?" Cherish tried to bite back your irritation.

"Late? This isn't late. Midnight is late." Haven said after he exhaled smoke. "Besides your on my time. Ha ha!" Haven cleared his throat. " Now, I am very interested in having Suicide Angels play before us on our next tour. As long as ya don't mind travelin' with us cross country. We're touring all over Japan. Start on December seventh. Ya in?"

Cherish cringed and glared at the phone as she held it a few inches away from her head. Drake raised an eyebrow in inquiry. She ignored him as she focused on keeping herself from correcting Haven's grammar.

_Where the hell did they find this man? _Cherish thought in disgust. This man had no ethic whatsoever. He sounded like trailer trash. She didn't know if she would be able to work with a man that had a lesser IQ then her. She took a deep breath as she made her decision. She would do it for the band and her brother's dream.

"That sounds excellent. Should we meet you at the concert hall in Hirosaki or do you want to meet before that?" Cherish sugar coated her voice.

She couldn't afford to ruin this opportunity for the Suicide Angels no matter how much she was not happy with working with a complete imbecile. So for the band she would put on a little red head charm.

"Na, we'll just meet their for re'ersal."

Cherish literally went into spasms as her face scrunched up in a hard grimace. Drake saw it coming. She was going to blow up at this man and ruin their chances to hit it big. Cherish was never one to hold her tongue or her opinion.

Her self restraint surprised him. She took a deep breath. A fake smile fell back into place as her ice blue eyes opened. Her voice dripping sweet like thick molasses as she kept her business face.

"Sounds perfect. We'll see you in three weeks. We're looking forward to working with you."

Drake could see how hard it was for his sister to force those words out. He had to laugh. It wasn't often he got to see his sister struggle to hold her composure. It was classic.

"M'Kay, see ya then." Haven said and then the line went dead.

It took all of Cherish's self control not to slam the phone down on the table or pitch it across the room. She turned her frustration on Drake until he stopped laughing. He sobered instantly at the look of pure murder in his sister's face. He knew better then to provoke the five foot nothing woman and live to see the next day.

"So what's the verdict sis?"

"We go on tour with the Black Doves on December seventh. Make sure the girls know. We have a lot to do before we go." Drake let out a loud cry of joy making Cherish crack a half smile.

He was already flipping open his cell phone to call Lily, their bassist and electronic tech. Cherish was happy for him. This is what they had worked so hard to achieve. Cherish was convinced that she could handle an unintelligent man as long as her baby brother was happy.

Deimeon walked in on his band with beer in hand. They were all backstage getting pampered by their make up artists and random roadies fetching everything they could ever need or didn't need.

Wes Merritt, the bassist, sat at the counter while a nervous hair dresser worked on his hair. With his sensitive hearing, Deimeon could pick out twisted perversions coming out of his mouth. Wes' malicious attitude usually made all the staff that way.

Lyndon Rotranel, the guitarist, was sitting at his make up counter. He was happily chatting with his hair dresser, make up artist and another woman that was doing his nails. He fit right in with the woman, Deimeon thought.

Nolan Perez, the drummer, sat at the table full of cookies and other snacks. Nolan munched in a comfortable silence while trying his best to ignore his own hair dresser fixing his thick black hair that hung in his face.

Haven was standing near the curtain controls, talking on the phone with a cigarette in between his fingers. Deimeon took another drink of beer and gave it to a nearby stage member who offered to take it to the recycling.

Deimeon nodded his thanks and noticed one of the female staff looking hungrily in his direction. He passed her a half smile in response. A silent plan between the two for a good time later.

Kitty rounded a corner and walked by at that exact moment. She was the keyboardist for the Black Doves. She was the newest member of the band. Deimeon practically craned his neck watching her go by. She was carrying a box of electrical equipment for her keyboard.

Deimeon found himself staring at her. The female staff member forgotten. He continued studying Kitty's body up and down. He had never wanted a woman so bad in his whole life. He couldn't figure out if it was because she dodged his continuous advances or if it was something else. Deimeon bit his bottom lip, his fang poking into his soft skin. He started fantasizing about the different ways he could take her in the bedroom.

A male assistant came over to her and began talking. He started out with a simple conversation which soon turned into light flirtation. Kitty didn't seem to reply to his advances, but Deimeon felt a rage boil deep inside him and he actually snarled quietly to himself. It took all his self control not to shove the pitiful human clear into the snack table.

He decided, after much debating, that he would leave the scene before he hurt the man in some way. He chose to accompany Haven who had just got off the phone. Deimeon was about to say something when Haven called out to everyone.

"Kay everyone, the Suicide Angels are outside. They're on their way in...so... I guess... introduce yourselves or sum'thing." He told them as he took a drag of his cigarette.

_The Suicide Angels. _Deimeon thought to himself. The talented young musicians that started out similarly to the Black Doves. _This should be interesting. _

Cherish glanced at the three of musicians as they chatted excitedly among one another, ignoring her. She was smaller then all of them, but she could still be damn intimidating.

She placed her hands on her hips and clicked her tongue loudly. Drake knew that sound quite well and he knew that it usually wasn't followed by anything good. He instantly fell silent. They all turned to face her sheepishly.

"I'm glad that you are all excited, but we are adults, so please behave like adults." Cherish stated in a hard voice.

"Yes mother... Oft." Drake doubled over when Cherish hit him in the stomach. "Damn it Cherish!" He gasped out.

"You should have known better." She retorted smugly. "Now let's go."

Cherish swung open the double doors and strolled in. Her black knee length coat flowing gracefully around her. Her knee high black high heel boots clicking lightly against the tiled floor.

_Here we go. _She thought, head held high.

Deimeon saw Haven raise an eyebrow as three young musicians followed a fair skinned and rather short red head. He knew right away that Haven was trying his hardest not to make a leprechaun joke.

The group approached the Black Doves in almost a docile manner. Not that Deimeon blamed them. Meeting the Black Doves was a rare experience indeed. Deimeon himself knew that he alone gave off a very distinct and powerful presence that made humans feel small in his company.

Except this sort woman.

She strutted in with all the confidence of a seven foot tall lioness and nearly as graceful. A red headed young man followed behind her. He seemed similarly confident yet not as strong. Deimeon could tell by the way he carried himself and by the look of his clothes that he was much more laid back then the short woman that led them.

Deimeon noticed something else too. They had similar features. Deimeon smelt a similar blood between them and immediantly picked up on the fact that they were siblings. He just wasn't sure which was the elder.

Next was a tough looking young woman. She had several piercings. A nose ring, eyebrow ring, and a lip ring. He could vaguely make out the belly ring that her black shirt tried to hide. Her bangs framed her face to her chin and the rest was long, all the way down to her waist. Her hair was as black as night with blood red streaks and dark purple streaks weaved into it.

She wore a black leather jacket with spikes and studs that stopped just under her breasts. It was more of half a jacket. Her black pants were designed with chains and zippers. The chains lined the pockets and the buckles ran down her left thigh to the bottom of her pant leg. She had on thick military style boots with about an inch platform on them. They were decorated with skulls and studs. Barbed wire tattoos covered her back and wrapped around her torso.

She reminded him of Wes almost immediately.

Finally, trailing behind them was a girl hugging her laptop tightly to her chest. Her brown hair was twisted up in a messy bun. Her beautiful features were obscured by thick rimmed almond shaped glasses. Her clothing was casual if not plain. A simple white shirt with a feminine V neck that looked a few sizes to big for her. Her blue jeans appeared the same. They hugged her thighs and flaring out at the bottom practically covering her black Converse. They dragged on the ground as she moved. Her 'detailed' outfit was topped off with a blue hoodie wrapped around her waste with 'Mega man' on it.

To any other human male, her choice of clothing and frail manner that she carried herself may be a turn off, but Deimeon immediately found himself curious. What kind of body do those clothes conceal?

As if she could read his mind, she looked up at him through her lenses. She blushed furiously upon making eye contact with the worldly idol. Deimeon couldn't hold back a small smile.

He looked at Wes, who immediately seemed defensive and Deimeon waited for him to insult the group. Wes tensed and furrowed his brow while crossing his arms. Lyndon smiled happily and Deimeon knew he couldn't wait to get to know the new members. Deimeon even caught a scent of lust as Lyndon looked over the young red headed man.

As for Nolan, Deimeon could never pinpoint exactly what he was thinking. He looked at the band with the same bored expression through this curtain of bangs. Naturally Deimeon first thought was getting them all in bed and seeing what kind of night they could make. Surprisingly the thought didn't stay long as the new member naked in his bed was immediately replaced with Kitty's smiling face as she laid on her side naked under his sheets.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Deimeon approached the band first and gave them his heart stopping smile. Deimeon offered his hand to the short red headed woman. Who had just stopped in front of him.

"Pleasure to meet you all." He purred in his sexy deep voice. "I'm sure you all know who we are. Mind if we get your names?"

Cherish placed her hand in the handsome man's hold. She shook it firmly flashing him her award winning smile. Her ice blue eyes flashing confidently as she looked up at him not breaking contact for one second.

"Cherish O'Riley. I'm Suicide Angels' manager. This is Drake, the lead singer and guitarist. Lily is the bassist and back up vocalist. Finally the dominatrix is out drummer Flare."

"What up?" Drake offered a lazy half smile and flashed a wink in Deimeon's direction.

"Hello." Lily bowed her head, like she was taught to do growing up in a Japanese home. "It's an honor to meet you all." She said softly.

"No need to be so formal babe." Deimeon responded. "You guys are welcome to any snacks and refreshments." He motioned to the table as the Black Doves dispersed from their introductory line up. "Rehearsals gonna start soon, so just relax until then."

"Thank you for your generosity. Do you know where I can find your manager?" Cherish inquired to Deimeon.

Deimeon stuck his thumb out and motioned toward the scruffy man. Haven stood behind him with his back toward Deimeon lighting another cigarette. Cherish stared in shock. She knew she was gaping, but couldn't help it. The man had sounded like trash, but she had hoped he looked more professional. At least then she would have had an easier time dealing with his speech defect.

Instead the man stood there with the most unreliable shoes Cherish had ever laid eyes on. She could see his socks in the toe of his shoe because the seam was falling away from the material. His jeans were filthy and covered in holes. To top it off his trench was disgusting. There was just no other way to describe it.

Drake started laughing while Cherish felt like sobbing. She tried to gain her composure, but she just couldn't seen to muster it up. God hated her. There was no other explanation for it.

"Excuse me." She chocked out. "I left something in the car." She booked it out of the venue with her brother's laughter following her.

Haven watched the short woman leave with surprising interest. Her small figure was curved to perfection and Haven couldn't help staring at her as she left. As Haven wondered backstage to ensure everything ran as it should, he was finding it hard not to glance at the main entrance where Cherish had disappeared.

_Come on Haven. _He thought to himself. _Ain't no such thing as love. You learned that the hard way when Victoria divorced you. _

Haven wrote off his sudden curiosity as a mere attraction to her body. The only thing Haven ever saw in a woman was their bodies. He never had a care for staying with a girl for more than one night.

Since Victoria, he'd never wanted to ever try looking for companionship, but he was thirty five year old man. He kept reminding himself that he wasn't a spring chicken anymore and may be running out of time.

_You don't need love. You don't need to attach yourself to anyone and get hurt. _Despite his negative thoughts, Haven rubbed the stubble that dusted his chin.

Haven suddenly became that he probably didn't look presentable to Cherish. He couldn't place as to why he was caring. He never cared about his personal hygiene. Regardless, Haven walked to the Black Dove's trailer and took a hot shower.

Disclaimer-Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

All Characters are owned by Dragondoneit and Badkittyitachi.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Cherish finished her cigarette and crushed the filter under her boot. After the initial shock wore off, she was more in control of her emotions. She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.

She decided she had procrastinated for far to long and it was about time for her to do her job as a manager. She turned and opened the door. She made her way back in and frowned at the sight. The girl's were doing exactly what they needed to do, but her baby brother obviously still needed a babysitter.

She made her way to his side. He was too involved in a conversation with Deimeon to notice her approach. Not many people did until she made herself known. One of the few disadvantage's of being so damn short... or advantage depending on the situation.

She yanked the beer out of Drake's lax hand. Her other hand was resting on his hip and glared up at her immature brother.

"What the fuck?" He snapped as he looked down at her.

"Don't use that filth around me Drake O'Riley and you are not old enough to be drinking. And," She raised her voice when he went to open his mouth. "You should be getting ready for your sound check." She pointed over to Flare and Lily. "As for you Mr. Pop star." She snapped pointing her finger at Deimeon, who was standing next to Drake holding the neck of a cold beer. "I don't care who you are. If you give another minor a beer, I'll turn you in to the authorities." She placed her brother's beer to her lips and drained the half empty bottle before slamming it down on the table and storming off.

"Sorry about that, Man. She's under a lot of stress. She's not usually this uptight." Drake explained, apologetically.

"Maybe she needs a beer." Said Deimeon shrugging off the events. "Didn't realize you were underage. Not that it matters in this business. But I usually follow that rules... well... sometimes." He smiled. "No harm done."

"She's just being a bitch. She buys me beer all the time. Your manager has managed to crawl under her sophisticated skin and now she's taking it out on everyone." Drake informed Deimeon.

Deimeon chuckled. "She's not the first one Haven has managed to piss off."

"Yeah, will I'm sure he has never dealt with a five footed Irish tempered red head before."

"Drake O'Riley get you ass over here before I kick the shit out of you!" Cherish yelled from across the stage.

"See what I mean. The scariest thing is that she can actually do it. She also damn good with any knife she gets her hands on." Drake responded with a shutter as if he had experienced it first hand.

Deimeon was about to respond until Lyndon appeared to the left of him. Lyndon glanced at Drake. He couldn't help to think that Drake was really attractive. So Lyndon added a little extra sway to his hips and tried to carry himself with as much confidence as he could muster up. He hoped that Drake would notice him.

His main concern was Deimeon. It was always about Deimeon, the sex god that Lyndon couldn't help but chase after. Recently Lyndon noticed Deimeon hadn't excepted any sex offers from any of his lucky fans or his band mates. Deimeon was always having sex. Lyndon couldn't help but wonder what was going on in the gorgeous man's head.

"Deimeon are you okay?" Lyndon asked. "Why was Cherish yelling at you? Did you grab her ass?" Deimeon laughed which was a smooth melodious sound that melted Lyndon's heart instantly.

"Something tells me, if I did, I would be without a hand." Deimeon joked. "No, it's okay Lyndon. Everything's fine."

Relieved, Lyndon smiled at his tall and handsome friend and subconsciously tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear. Drake studied the small man in silent contemplation. It was obvious that the man was into Deimeon. He vaguely wondered if they had some kind of thing going on. It would be a little surprising if the worldwide idol was gay.

"Yeah most likely. She's brutal." Drake laughed, winking at Lyndon.

"God damn it Drake!" Cherish screamed.

"Shit. That's my last warning." He turned away and headed toward the stage. "Better get over there."

Drake made his way toward the stage. He glanced to the side and found himself staring at a tight little ass that was bent over the keyboard plugging in some cords. Dirty thoughts instantly swallowed him up as he licked his lips.

"Drake watch ou-" Lily called out, but didn't get it out fast enough.

He slammed into the table that was holding Lily's prized possession. Her expensive Laptop. He tried to grab it when he realized it was going off the edge. His fingertips touched the side right before it shattered against the hard floor.

"Oh god no!" Lily cried out when she saw it break apart upon impact.

Pieces laid scattered across the stage. Lily ran over sinking down to her knees in shock next to it. Her tears streaming down her cheeks as she bit her lower lip hard to stop from sobbing.

Cherish's face was red with outrage for her brother's idiocy. Flare, on the other hand, was taking huge steps toward Drake. There was a dark look festering in her amethyst eyes. Drake took a step back.

"Oh shit." Drake muttered.

Flare's fist slammed into his cheek. He stumbled back from the impact. He was about to tell Flare to back off, but her knee connected with his stomach. He doubled over in pain as he gasped for breath.

"How dare you make Lily cry!" Flare growled menacingly.

"Knock your shit off this instant." Cherish stated in a deathly calm voice.

Everyone froze, knowing that tone quite well. Cherish was on the verge of uncontrollable outrage. Flare glared one last time at Drake then spun away. She knelt down next to Lily who was picking up the pieces.

"I need a fucking cigarette." Cherish hissed annoyed.

Deimeon, Lyndon, and Nolan offered their help to the sudden and unfortunate turn in events. Haven back into the building shortly after the commotion feeling comfortably cleansed. Only to be immediately aware of the chaos that erupted as he entered the backstage. Haven sighed.

"What the hell happened?" Haven inquired from Wes, who was wearing a shit eating grin. He was obviously amused by the events.

"The Suicide Angels are ruined." He cackled a little. "The computer broke. Their precious background noise. Serves them right. A computer making noises isn't music. It's lazy and unauthentic. Looks like we'll need a replacement. They're not going to be able to recover from this. There's no way." Wes giggled manically and continued watching as Haven walked on stage.

"What the hell?" He demanded of Cherish. "You guys mess up your sound system? Is it true you can't play?"

Cherish snapped ice blue eyes at the bum that called himself the manager of Black Doves. She was in no mood to try to tolerate his ethics. She crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive stance and narrowed her eyes.

"Not unless someone has a laptop and two hours so Lily can rewrite the programs." Cherish took a huge drag of her cigarette and rubbed her temple.

"Sorry, no laptops." Haven pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it as he looked over at a concerned looking Kitty. "Unless she can be of some help to you."

Kitty moved over to Haven side and Cherish glanced at Lily. She was willing to do anything she could to help the girl smile again. She chewed her bottom lip as she studied Kitty.

"If you have sheet music, I can play the keyboard." Kitty informed the other female.

"Not for a Keyboard."

"I can use any sheet music. All I need is the notes and melody then I can add keyboard music too it. I can distort it if I need too."

Cherish looked at the young girl surprised. Was she for real? She was skeptical but she needed to do something to save their asses or this would go bad on their reputation.

"Drake." She snapped.

"Yeah?" He asked hesitantly.

"Get her your sheet music." Drake did as he was told without his usual comeback. "I hope you're as good as you believe."

"No, I'm better." She answered confidently.

Nolan approached the pieces of the broken laptop and began picking them up in silence. He glanced ever so often at the girl in glasses still trying to recover from the trauma of losing something so precious to her. She must have put in a lot of work on it. Probably more work then Nolan could even imagine.

Nolan wanted to reach out to her. He wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't ever muster an effort to comfort another he didn't know very well when he didn't even feel like he was human himself. His soul felt cold, and it was hard for him to get close to others.

He felt this way ever since he was young. His past had cursed him with an awkward disposition when meeting new people. Not to mention his strange 'gift'. The ability to see into the souls of others through their eyes. While unique, Nolan thought it more of a curse. Not only was it hard enough to get close to others, the feeling of Nolan's 'soul searching' often had the recipient scared or retreating away from him. It was part of the reason Nolan didn't even make any effort to get close to strangers.

But this girl... he wanted to help her. Something told Nolan to reach out to her despite his awkward first impressions. After sometime he looked at the pieces. He cleared his throat slightly.

"I can... probably fix it." He told her softly.

Lily froze and glanced up at the boy in front of her. She hadn't even noticed Nolan or Deimeon come and help her. She smiled a weak smile. She fingered the bottom of her broken laptop, shyly.

"Thank you so much for the offer, but there's really no need. If I get a new laptop I can take the motherboard out and swap it with the new one... hopefully. It's just the shock of seeing something I hold so dear shatter before my eyes. I'll be okay, I promise."

Lily's smile was sincere as she looked straight at the man in front of her. She couldn't see Nolan's eyes. It was kind of unnerving to not be able to see his expression, but she was still too shaken to dwell on it.

The man was stunning from what she could see and his seemed to keep drawing her eyes to them. His jaw was square and firm, full lips and a slightly long pointed nose. He made her feel comfortable around him which no man had ever been able to do in all her twenty one years.

"Thank you so much for your concern, Nolan. It means a lot to me." Her voice was soft as she placed a warm hand on his arm.

Nolan only nodded in response. He gave her the computer parts back, avoiding eye contact with her and keeping his gaze on the ground. He walked away silently afraid she would attempt to speak to him again. He knew if she tried to make an effort to converse with him, it would risk her seeing his eyes and being frightened. It was better for everyone if he just stayed away from them.

Lily looked confused as she watched Nolan retreat. She didn't understand why he was suddenly so stand offish and it hurt her, but she was use to being written off by men. She was too much of a scrawny nerd for anyone to even give her a second glance. Plus she was awkward and shy.

"Lily." Cherish called out to her.

"Yeah?" She pushed Nolan out of her mind, looking up to her manager.

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. I think... I"m sorry." Lily told her sheepishly.

"It's okay, but we need to do a quick rehearsal so Kitty can get a feel for your music."

"O...Okay." Lily put the broken computer into her bag and set it aside.

Cherish watched her and knew how hard it was for the girl to keep her composure. Cherish pushed the concern from her mind. She couldn't afford to get sentimental right now. She needed to maintain the professional manager.

"Okay girl." She started turning to Kitty. "Show us what you can do." Kitty flashed her a small smile.

"I wouldn't be a part of the Black Doves if I wasn't talented."

Wes strolled onto the stage with his smug shit eating grin. It was almost as if he enjoyed the trauma to the young girl. Flare watched the man closely, curious as to why he had decided to enter the scene after all this time.

"Well, well, looks like you got lucky." His voice was snide and sadist. "Better hope it works out or your careers gonna go to shit." Deimeon shot him with a cold glare and curled his lip in irritation, revealing one of his enlarged canines.

Flare walked over to Wes and planted herself in front of him. She looked him over slowly from top to bottom and back up. She locked her eyes with his hard dark brown ones.

"I'm sorry you had a hard life, but no one here is going to judge you. So try being a little nicer or deal with the consequences. I'd really hate for something to happen to your bass." Flare said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"A hard life?" Wes laughed, mockingly at her. "You've no right to talk. You don't know anything about me. So back off little girl, unless your in the mood to get the shit kicked out of you. I'd really hare for the Suicide Angels to miss their drummer." Wes snarled with all the snide sarcasm he could.

"You can try. I'm a lot stronger then I look asshole and I'm itching for a good fight since I can't beat the shit out of Drake." Flare answered, nonchalantly like she was talking about the weather.

"Enough you two!" Cherish snapped. "Flare, your equipment needs you."

Wes opened his mouth to snap back at the shorter woman when Deimeon yelled his name. Deimeon instantly regretted it. His anger got the better of him and the beast in him took advantage of it. His yelling came out almost like a snarl and the volume was at the level of a roar. The beast in him was stirring. He would need to eat soon.

"We have better things to do right now don't you think?" Deimeon continued trying to play it off.

Wes almost seemed shocked by Deimeon's outburst, but quickly hid any signs of it behind his usual angry and uncaring face. On the other hand, Flare was studying Deimeon closely trying to figure out if you had just heard that right.

"You're right Deimeon." Wes said mouth curling to an almost evil smile. "I've got better things to do then dirty my hands with no talent low lifes."

Wes shot a cocky grin at Flare as he left. Deimeon felt slightly uncomfortable after his outburst. Especially since Flare was still watching him even as she got ready. He stalked backstage with his hands in his trench coat. Kitty raised an eyebrow. She had been with the Black Doves for over a year now and she had never seen Deimeon like that. That was not natural. She glanced at the other band.

No one seemed to notice what happened from what she could tell. They all looked too caught up in trying to get ready for rehearsal. She nibbled on the tip of her finger, debating if she should follow Deimeon or not.

She decided to check on him. She slipped away from the unnoticed group and went behind stage. She didn't see Deimeon, but she heard Haven and his voice just inside the dressing room. She moved forward intending to knock on the slightly cracked door.

"It's not a good time right now D, you know that." Haven stated and Deimeon seemed to growl in response. "We'll order you some steaks. You can-"

"No! I need to hunt!" Deimeon barked.

Haven gripped the bridge of his nose. "Ah, jeez. You are NOT doing this to me right now. D, our concert is hours away. Practice is in forty minutes. Can't you a least hold on till-"

"Shh," Deimeon hissed. "Shut up."

He smelt a familiar scent of Vanilla as his heart jumped in his chest. _Kitty. Oh shit! How long was she standing there? _He thought with fear.

"Kitty? Is that you?" Deimeon asked.

Kitty had frozen with her hand next to the door confused on what they were talking about. She was so lost in thought, that she actually squeaked in surprise at the sound of her name leaving Deimeon's lips.

_How did he know I was standing here? _She thought confused.

For some reason she felt the urge to run. After what she saw on stage and then hearing them talk, she was slightly uneasy. What did he mean by 'he needed to hunt'? She decided it was best to leave.

The issue really wasn't any of her business and she really didn't want to get caught up in anything bad if that's what they were discussing. On silent, but quick feet she headed back to the stage.

She turned the corner glancing over her shoulder and ran smack into Drake. She let out a small cry of surprise almost falling over backwards, because it was like running into a brick wall.

Drake wrapped an arm around her waist just before she lost her balance, saving her. She looked up at him surprised. He flashed her a very sexy and confident smile. Her breath caught at just how dashing he looked.

"You okay?" He inquired in a deep purr, making her blush.

"Yes. Sorry. I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going."

"It's all good, baby. I'm just glad I didn't hurt you. I came to give you the sheet music." He held it out to her, his other arm still secure around her waist.

Kitty realized he had the most stunning baby blue eyes she had ever seen. They stood out vividly against his tan skin and styled cherry red hair. Tiny, barely noticeable freckles littered his nose and cheeks.

Kitty was surprised that she found him slightly attractive. Deimeon was the only man she had felt a sexual charge with, but she got it with Drake. Not as strong as she did with Deimeon, but it was there.

"Thank you." She said softly, taking the music.

Deimeon left Haven alone. He quickly went after Kitty's retreating scent. _Please don't run from me. _He thought. For a moment his recurring hatred toward himself swarmed his thoughts again.

Kitty was the only girl he'd ever known that had stirred his lust since Ayli had died. His heart actually sped up when she was near. Her melodious voice gave him chills and her body made his mind swarm with thoughts of making love to her, tasting every inch of her body. His cock grew hard just thinking about it.

Ah, Ancients he had it bad.

And he thought it wasn't possible for him to love again. Was this love? What couldn't her be normal? She'd never except him after learning about his monstrous other half.

Turning the corner, he noticed Drake with his arm around Kitty. Deimeon didn't have to smell the lust to know it was there. He snarled to himself and felt his blood boil. He stormed over to the two. His canines enlarged in response to his rage. In the back of his mind, he knew his loss of self control was due to his hunger, but couldn't seem to do anything to stop himself.

Once he reached them, he tore Drake away from Kitty placing himself in front of her. He felt the rage building up so much that he started to feel 'the change'. His eyes flashed brightly for a split second as he tried everything to contain himself.

His nails slowly drew out into claws as he considered tearing at the human across his pretty face. Deimeon breathed in deeply trying to fight with the beast. He clenched his clawed hand into a fist, puncturing his palm as he restrained himself.

Before he could stop himself, he snarled, "She's mine!"

Kitty's mouth dropped open in shock. She was convinced that she was hearing things, but Drake's face was the same expression as her own with a little fear. He took a step back. He glanced to the side as if looking for the closest exit. He cast one more look at her before he high tailed it out of there.

Kitty shook her head to clear her surprise then turned angry green eyes on the back of Deimeon's blond hair. She crossed her arms over her chest. She tilted her head up in a defiant manner.

"Excuse me?" She demanded, restraining her anger.

No one owned her!

Her voice calmed him ever so slightly as his anger slowly receded. He immediately regretted what had happened and wished to the Ancients he had more control over himself.

He could feel the warmth of his blood dripping from his right palm. He hadn't even realized that he had dug his claws into his flesh until the pain surfaced to the front of his brain. He quickly put his hand into his trench coat pocket and turned to face Kitty with a smile. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck and offered the only excuse he could think of.

"Uh... I thought he was harassing you."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You thought he was harassing me? So that required you to go all medieval on his ass and claim me as your own? I will have you know, after what Micheal did to me I will not... And I repeat... Will not be owned by anybody else."

She spun on her heel and stormed off to her dressing room. She was so emotionally unstable, especially irate. She wasn't sure what would happen if she had stayed in his presence much longer.

Lyndon watched Kitty storm away from Deimeon. Deimeon literally looked like his heart was broken. It almost seemed like he would cry. Lyndon knew that their lead singer liked her. He watched her with hungry eyes all the time and always put on his best behavior whenever she was around. He hadn't even had women in his room with him 'entertaining' him since she came into their lives. That also meant that Deimeon hadn't invited Lyndon either.

He knew that the nights they'd spent together in the past were just casual sex to Deimeon. Lyndon didn't feel that way. He had falling madly in love with the gorgeous man, but it was obvious that Deimeon was in love with another.

Lyndon became heartbroken when he realized it and lashed out at Kitty unintentionally. Lyndon found that he had gotten over Deimeon pretty quickly and he wondered if he had really loved the man.

Love or not, Lyndon cared about him and he didn't like to see fighting. He wanted to resolve this whole mess for them. He just didn't know how. It was in his nature to care for others. And poor Drake. He must be terrified.

Lyndon decided he would go to Drake first since he knew nothing about Deimeon's true form. He probably needed someone to console him after such an experience. Lyndon got up, but paused as the stage crew called everyone over.

Lyndon sighed. He hoped that everything worked out and that he could help out anyway he could. It wasn't good for everyone to start the tour off on the wrong foot. They were all going to be traveling around with each other for a long time.

With that final thought, Lyndon gathered his guitar equipment and happily reported to the designated area. No long after the practice had ended, they started to admit the fans that were camped outside. The rest of the night would fly by or at least he hoped it would.

"You guys did really well." Cherish said with a satisfied smile.

"Thanks sis."

They were standing outside the bus while the roadies efficiently loaded everything on to it. Cherish pulled her dress coat closer to her body to block the sudden chill. She was only wearing a white tank top underneath. The lace on the trim dipped low over her large breast, so it didn't provide much protection from the wind.

She brushed her bangs out of her face. She saw Haven exit the building followed by the rest of the Black Doves. She bit the inside of her lip to stop the sound of disgust. She prayed for patience. She knew she was going to need it.

Haven looked back once more at that gorgeous short woman. Without the coat you could see the perfect curves of her body and Haven couldn't help the dirty thoughts that crossed his mind or the overwhelming need to take another shower.

He hadn't cleaned himself solely for the purpose of impressing a woman in a very long time. But dammit, he wanted to look good, contrary to his nature. Which was 'I don't give a flying fuck what other people think of me'.

Haven noticed Deimeon wasn't looking good. Deimeon needed to go hunting. Raw steak weren't going to sate his hunger at the moment. He needed a fresh kill. Haven knew they had to leave soon if they were going to make the deadline, but Deimeon needed to go out tonight. He didn't have a choice.

_Dammit._

Deimeon only glanced over to see the worry and debate written all over Haven's face as he inhaled the cigarette in his hand. Deimeon turned away from the bus and headed for the street, disappearing into the darkness. Haven sighed heavily and stepped into the bus.

"Start 'er up." Said Haven to the bus driver.

"What about Deimeon?" Kitty asked from behind Haven.

She couldn't image that he was going to leave the lead singer and his best friend behind... was he? She was starting to wonder what exactly they had been referring to earlier that night about Deimeon 'hunting'.

"He's fine." Haven answered nonchalantly. "He's gonna catch up with us later. He... uh... went to meet with a producer."

Kitty raised an eyebrow in suspicion. She knew that Haven was lying, but she also knew he wouldn't tell her the truth if she asked for it. She decided to let it go and follow Nolan to the back of the bus.

He started up a video game and relaxed in a recliner. Kitty sat down on the back couch looking out into the night. Her mind raced with all the thoughts that Deimeon could be doing, but exhaustion soon won. She fell fast asleep.

Nolan looked over at Kitty seeing her asleep on the couch. He paused his game and rose to his feet. He went to the closet and pulled out the softest blanket in it. He moved to her side and laid the flannel blanket over her small frame.

She reminded him of Lily for some reason. Why his thoughts were going back to that girl, he didn't know. She was cute and her knowledge of computers was impressive. Nolan also found it strangely adorable.

He wished he could get to know her, but he was terrible at socializing. The only girls he'd been with he didn't even have to give his name. They were usually just some groupies who wanted to bed with fame.

"Hey limp dick, scoot over. I'm joining." Wes declared, moving into Nolan's recliner.

Nolan, slightly irritated that Wes wasn't keeping his voice down for Kitty, nodded in acknowledgment. As Gears of War began, Nolan had the thought of trying to connect to the wireless and see if he could track down Lily, but he didn't even know if she gamed. Lily probably didn't have a PS3. She probably didn't bother with games. Connecting to the nearest server in the area, Nolan and Wes began there game.

Disclaimer-Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

All Characters are owned by Dragondoneit and Badkittyitachi.


	3. Chapter 3

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 3

Lily ducked as Flare launched a drum stick at Drake's head, who happened to be standing behind her. She decided that her position was hazardous to her health. Standing between them was not the smartest thing right now. Especially considering the mood Flare was in.

"It's not a big deal." Lily mumbled, trying to defuse the situation.

"Yes it is." Flare back fired.

"I said I was sorry. What else do you fucking want Flare?" Drake demanded.

"Your rotten soul on a silver platter so I can commit you to a life of eternal suffering in the black abyss of Oblivion for starters." The smile that appeared on her face was one of pure evil.

"God, you morbid bitch."

"God won't save you."

"Fuck!" Cherish hissed, slamming down her papers. "Will you two give it a fucking rest."

Lily flinched as Flare and Drake continued to glare at each other, but they at least fell quiet. She had to be a little relieved. This would be the end of the argument over her computer. Anyone could start a fight, but Cherish was always the one that finished it. They were all scared of the woman.

No one pissed off a tiny red headed Irish woman unless they had a death wish. None of them did, so the conflict was dropped. Lily sighed heavily as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Flare come play video games with me. I brought my X Box 360."

"Okay, I'm down for killing something." She responded, flashing an evil grin at Drake.

Drake shuddered He moved aside, letting them pass. "By all means, go ahead. Wouldn't want to keep you from your favorite past time." Flare sneered as she shoved past him.

"You have to sleep sometime."

Lily ignored them. She pulled her system out of her carrier and started hooking it up to the television. Flare was filtering through the games Lily had packed, with a half interest. She rarely ever played games. She had never touched them until Lily's family took her in when she was younger.

"I picked up a new one the other day. It's not what I normally play but it's a co-op." Lily turned to Flare.

"Gears of War?" Flare seemed skeptical until she looked at the back. "Okay. I'm down." Lily smiled at Flare's excited expression.

Flare had a weakness for guns. She had a mild obsession for them. Lily really didn't understand what was so great about them. They were a meanings to an end as far as she was concerned. She placed the disk in the disc holder and closed it.

She signed in under LilyBear and Flare signing in as Flare666. While the game loaded, Lily grabbed a couple Mt. Dew's and threw one to Flare who caught it easily. Lily settled down into the couch and watched the opening scene.

Nolan's eyebrows raised with interest as two other player's entered the server. He wondered who they could be. He glanced at Wes when the man chuckled darkly. He knew that Wes was on board for having the two join.

"Newb's." He stated. "Fantastic. Invite them to the game Nolan. I want to unleash my secret weapon on them."

Nolan almost smiled when he realized just who was logging on. Wes would be totally oblivious to who they were playing with. Wes, to Nolan's knowledge, had no education growing up and probably couldn't read the names.

He, however, put two and two together and was feeling a mix of surprise and … giddiness? He shook the feeling quickly and returned to his normal demeanor. Wes wanted to play a competitive game, but Nolan always preferred co-op game. Of course, Wes wouldn't really know the difference until the game began.

Nolan almost felt bad for going against his friends wishes, but he had his own reasons for wanting to play co-op with them. Maybe he could get to know Lily better. Wes handed him a headset, while putting on his own. They waited the results from the invitation.

Lily almost chocked on her Mt. Dew, when an invite popped up on the screen. She hadn't even realized they were online. She grabbed her bag and scrambled through it. She only had one headset. She debated declining the offer.

"Accept it." Flare's voice overrode her thoughts.

"What?" She asked surprised.

"I've never played online. Let's give it a try." Lily nodded and plugged in her headset. She accepted the invite.

"Nolan! I wanted a competitive game!" Wes scowled as he realized they were in a co-op game.

"Oops." Nolan lied.

Wes almost threw the controller when the level started. Enormous, disfigured humanoid aliens swarmed the screen. This caused Wes to cackle into the mouth piece as he used his chainsaw gun to cut through his enemies into gory pieces.

"They can hear you Wes." Nolan told him quietly, a little embarrassed at his friend's behavior.

"Big fucking deal." He backfired, continuing his massacre and soon got swarmed by enemies in waiting.

Dumb thought to himself.

Nolan moved his character in and hid near some brush as he too began to take fire.

"You available for back up Lily, Flare?" Nolan asked.

"Flare's already there..." She answered into the mouth piece as she struggled with the controls.

She was having a hard time concentrating as she listened to the maniacal laughter ringing in her ear. She was nervous because she was playing online with people she didn't know and a game she'd never played.

Flare sensed Lily's nervousness and started telling her what buttons did what functions. Lily listened to her best friend. Flare's voice calming her nerves. She followed the directions and suddenly everything didn't seem so awkward.

"Thanks Flare." She said with a laugh. "Okay. I'm good to go." She told the other end as guns started blazing.

The game went on. Four players versus thousands of well placed and organized computer controlled enemies, over a wide field. Nolan's strategic brain immediately went to work. He placed traps in accordance to enemy movements. He proceeded to lead enemies away into the traps where he had Flare waiting with a sniper and Lily with a short range gun.

Wes looked over curiously. He had never heard Nolan talk so much in a game. They were brief, short requests, but Wes still thought it rather odd. Lily followed the orders given to her relaying requests to Flare. She watched the screen intently, but her mind wasn't fully on the game. She was trying to place the voices of the two men on the headset.

They sounded familiar to her. She was convinced she had heard them before. She just couldn't seem to figure out where. A couple of enemies started to flank Bulbasaur990. Lily switched to her knife and went into close combat mode taking out both of them single handed. She let out a giggle of victory.

"Nice." Flare answered, approvingly. "Up close and personal. Very hot."

Nolan smiled at the giggle over the head piece. It vanished as soon as it appeared on his face. Wes raised an eyebrow at his friend's behavior. He seemed to be enjoying the company they were in.

"You guys did good." Nolan stated over the mic. "Good job."

Wes grumbled to himself. They had done well, for a couple of girls, but he would never admit it. He was actually getting extremely irritated with the way Nolan was acting. This wasn't like him at all.

"Why don't I log off so you can have some private time with your new girlfriends?" Wes spat.

"Wes, don't be an ass, we're having fun." Nolan looked up at him through his bangs.

"YOU are having fun." Wes backfired. "I could care less about playing with a couple of females."

Nolan got immediately angry for reasons he didn't quite understand. He never felt any emotion well up so fast in his whole life. This kind of scared him. Why would he lose his cool so fast?

"There's nothing wrong with gaming with girls." Nolan began to lose the normal monotone in his voice as his emotions grew stronger. "If you have such a problem with it Wes then log off and stop being a dick."

He froze when he realized that the mics were still on and he was being vulgar with a female on the other end. Just when he was about to say something, a controller was launched at his head. It nailed him so hard that the head piece went flying off his head. Nolan turned right as Wes pinned him to the ground and had the man's hands wrapped around his neck.

"I'll be more then a dick to you, you emo fuck! I'm gonna beat the shit outta you!"

"You're never happy unless you're beating the crap out of something Wes!" Nolan said, practically yelling.

Nolan than noticed Kitty again, sleeping soundly on the couch. He tried to get Wes to stop, so they wouldn't wake her. Wes wasn't having any of that. He turned around and started decking him in the face.

"You're right! I'm not happy unless I'm beating the crap out of something."

Kitty snapped awake as the commotion filled the back of the bus. She sat up disoriented, looking around confused. Her eyes widened at the sight of Wes beating on Nolan. She was off the couch in a second and did the only thing she could think of. She kicked Wes as hard as she could in the stomach.

She had the effect she was looking for. Wes fell away from Nolan, now lying next to the man he had been taking his anger out on . Kitty was breathless as she stared at them in horror. Nolan's lip was swollen and bleeding a little. His eye was discolored and blood covered his whole face.

"What the hell is going on?" She demanded.

"You wanna get involved?" Wes asked with a sadistic laugh. "Come here I'll show you exactly what's going on." He rose and approached her with a wicked smile cracking his lips.

Nolan was on his feet in an instant. He placed himself between Wes and Kitty. He could feel how bad his face was damaged and he was bleed from several of the wounds. If anything happened to her. He shuttered at the thought.

""Wes, calm down." Nolan's monotone back in his voice. "You don't want to do this. You know what Deimeon will do if he finds out you hurt her?"

"Hopefully he'll rip out my intestines and strangle me with them." Wes answered with a smile. "He can be my savior that releases me from this wretched fucked up world!"

He was still approaching them, fury hellbent in his eyes. Nolan had to protect Kitty, better him then her. Nolan applied his martial arts and baken classes, unleashing a round house kick that landed against Wes' side and sent him spiraling into the wall of the bus.

Kitty shrieked and placed her hands over her mouth. She stepped back knowing this was going get bad. She really wished Deimeon was here. He always had a way to calm Wes' violent behavior.

She was surprised with Nolan even through the fear. She had never seen him man up to anyone let alone Wes. She had a new found respect for him. 'Just because you had it didn't mean you used it.' It took a real man to show the kind of restrain Nolan did.

Wes got up, blood lust in his eyes. He growled and was about to lunge at Nolan again from across. Kitty knew she was hopeless. There was no way she could stop Wes now. He had lost his clue. He would tear her up and dump her out the bus. Just then Haven entered the room.

"Wes! Nolan! Get the fuck to your rooms now!" His gruff voice was loud and demanding.

"Fuck off you dickhead!" Wes screamed. "I'm gonna tear him to pieces for what he did to me?"

"Well from where I'm standing Nolan looks worse for shit than you do!" Haven retorted. "Knock you're garbage off right now or I'm canceling the tour.

"You wouldn't." Wes taunted.

"You don't want to test me Wes." Haven wished to god Deimeon was here to settle this.

"I'll take you on too old man." Wes stated. "I'm not afraid of a fucking geezer."

"What's going on?" Lyndon's words broke in through the tension.

They all looked at him. He quickly accessed the situation and realized exactly what was going on. Wes looked like he might turn on Lyndon next. He didn't need an audience and he sure as hell didn't want to deal with all of them.

"Please Wes, just let it go." Haven told him.

Haven was shaking. Truth was that Wes scared the shit out of him. Without Deimeon to regulate, Have wasn't sure what to do. He fingered the .9mm in his belt holster in case it go really bad. He hoped that wouldn't be the case. Wes loosened up, to Haven's surprise, but he still had the blood lust in his eyes.

"Fuck you all. You're not worth it."

Wes stomped back to his room, He shoved passed Haven. He went to move past Lyndon, who shrank back in his room to allow Wes enough room to move past without any hindrance. Lyndon then ran to Nolan's side.

"Nolan? Nolan? Are you okay?" He asked frantically.

Haven let out a deep breath. One he didn't even realize he was holding. He relaxed and walked to the group. He looked Nolan over silently. Nolan didn't respond. He just stood there with his head down, hair covering his face.

"Kitty," He rasped out suddenly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Nolan. Thank you so much for protecting me." She told him softly. "Will you let me clean you up please?" She begged softly.

Nolan felt good knowing Kitty was so concerned for him. It confirmed that she was a part of their messed up family, and also that she wasn't too shaken up by the event. Nolan didn't really care for the attention he was getting suddenly. It made him uncomfortable. He debated going to his room and locking the door to seclude himself, but he didn't want to worry Kitty or Lyndon anymore then they were. He nodded his head slowly as he noticed quite a bit of blood on the floor.

"I'll be right back." Kitty left the room, heading for the bathroom.

She came back with a wet clothe and a first aid kit. She knelt down on the floor in front of Nolan who had sat on the edge of the couch. She carefully tended him, with efficient hands.

Something beeped behind her. She glanced at the television. There was a message notice on the screen from someone by the name of LilyBear. Kitty turned back to Nolan, raising a thin eyebrow. Was this what triggered the fight between the two men?

Nolan motioned a pardon to Kitty with a slight incline of his head. He rose from his seat and moved to the pick up the headset. He placed it back on as he picked up the forgotten controller on the floor.

"Sorry you guys. Wes bailed and I'm feeling a little tired. Let's play again tomorrow night after we get done with the concert." He sent a friend request and turned off the computer.

Lily froze as Nolan spoke. She had been right about knowing them. Her heart fluttered. She had just gamed it up with Nolan Perez. She squealed with excitement and then thanked god, Flare had called it a night.

She sobered when she realized that something had happened between him and Wes. They had been arguing before she heard nothing but muffled commotion. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She hoped he was okay.

Deimeon tore into the flesh of his victim. A human female that he bought. She thought she was being paid by the lone stranger to have sex with. In reality it had been to quench a different hunger.

As he regained control of his body, he looked down on the helpless victim torn to pieces below him. He growled at himself and stood up from his kill. Why was he cursed with this? Why had his mother been so consumed with vengeance that she thought nothing about the child she sired?

He was covered in the woman's blood. He licked his lips unconsciously. He felt the sticky red liquid think around his mouth, chin, and neck. He released his wings from his back.

They were bat like in appearance, only the intricate bones between the thin membrane set them apart from the small mammal. He was about to take off when he heard a soft maniacal laughter paired with a cold tingling in his spine.

"Look at you." A melodious female voice said from behind him. "Killing without mercy. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

He turned to a woman with dark green hair tied into a high ponytail. Dark roots of corruption weaved in and out of her wrists. She didn't wear much in clothing, more like rags. She wore a green band of material covering her breasts revealing a tiny flat naval. On her waist she wore a shredded grey skirt with bandages that wrapped up her thighs to her calves. They dissapeared under her ankle high boots. The bandages, Deimeon knew, were a feeble attempt to ease the constant burning out the curse the warriors from his old life were burdened with.

"It's forbidden for you to be here." He could feel the change coming again as his teeth started to elongated.

"Get back on your haunches dog," She smirked at him. "I'm not here to fight."

"Of course not." He snapped. "You know you can't win against your spawn." He paused. "So what the hell are you doing here?"

"The darkness is alive Deimeon." She said moving her hand in the air as if to bring life to her words. "It constantly feeds, moves, and feels. Even in you, it is alive."

"If you have a point, make it." He snarled. His patience growing thin. "I'm trying really hard not to rip you to pieces."

"The darkness has moved from our world." She answered with a sly smile. "It has leaked into the world of humans and will seek out new victims to feed from."

Deimeon froze. If what she said was true. There was going to be bid trouble in the world of humans. Deimeon shuttered at the thought. He could save this whole world even if he wanted too. He didn't have as much power as he use to in his world.

"Chaos will spread," She continued. "and I will bask in the suffering of the humans you protect."

Deimeon launched himself at the woman and slammed her into the closest building. The bricks cracked into a spider web pattern upon her impact. That gave him a small degree of satisfaction.

"I'll kill you!" Deimeon roared. "You'll never have them!"

She merely smiled, no fear in her eyes at all. "I'm afraid this is out of my control. As I said, it is alive. I merely tend to the darkness, I do not control it. Killing me won't stop what has already been done."

"No, but it will make me feel better." Deimeon retorted as he lifted a clawed hand above her.

"That's it my son, let the evil flow out. Kill me, bathe in my blood. Be the boy I've always wanted. A cold soulless killer."

"I'm not like you!" Deimeon roared in frustration as he withdrew his attack.

"You can't deny the darkness bred into you." Deimeon grabbed his head trying to fight off the powerful urge to slice her into a million pieces.

"Watch me." He growled between clenched teeth.

He took off into the aid leaving the dark goddess on the ground. He would not cave into his darker side. He would cater to his human self and he would not allow the darkness to consume any of his family.

The woman watched her son fly away. She held a hand out and opened a portal. She glanced at the retreating form of her son once more and then left through the portal. A smile of pure evil firmly in place on her lips.

The bus pulled to a stop, jolting Cherish awake. She glanced out the window in a sleepy daze. Her confused look turned into disgust as she stared at McDonald's. She had never eaten at a fast food joint in all her years. She came from a rich family that preferred five star restaurant.

_Really? _She thought to herself in repulsion, but her stomach growled contradicting her mind.

She was so not eating here. No matter how hungry she was. Flare, Drake, and Lily filed out of the bus completely content with the choice of food. Cherish glanced at her watch. Three in the morning. That was good. Most people would be in bed instead of out eating fast food.

Haven was talking to one of the employee's at the door. Cherish was surprised when they opened the door and allowed them into the lobby that was originally closed. She supposed it paid to be famous and get everything you wanted, including special treatment. She let out a heavy sigh and made her way inside.

Haven ordered half the menu for himself. Nolan refused anything to eat while Wes ordered a large strawberry milkshake with a shit load of fries. Lyndon stood outside the restaurant and refused to step foot into the fast food facility.

Haven looked over at Cherish with his tray of food. "You know what you want?"

"Real food, that isn't greased." Cherish retorted. "I prefer a restaurant not a grease bar. I think I'll pass." Lily and Flare were in the background discussing what they were going to eat which caused Cherish to feel slightly nauseated. "Yeah, so not eating here."

Haven studied her for a moment. He set his tray down and unwrapped one of the double cheeseburgers he had ordered. He held it out to Cherish, who immediately stepped back and pegged him with a death glare.

"Come on, it's good. Have you ever tried it?"

Cherish turned pale at the thought of eating the hamburger. She shook her head in fear of puking if she opened her mouth to speak. She turned away from Haven only to find her brother standing behind her, munching down on his quarter pounder with cheese.

"Come on sis. You'll like it."

"Don't talk with your mouth full. It's disgusting." She snapped out of habit.

"Pussy bitch." Drake retorted.

Cherish slammed her fist in his stomach making him choke and gag on his food. A sinister smile appeared on her dainty lips. She tried not to look too proud of herself, but the look on Drake's face was priceless.

"I'm sorry what was that?" Drake ignored her as he collapsed in the closest chair.

"Wells o much for being a gentleman." Haven grumbled.

He made his way to Kitty's table and sat down next to her along with the other girls. He glanced briefly at Wes who was in the far corner behind him. Nolan sat outside while Lyndon was no doubt babying the poor guy over what had happened. Nolan's face was bandaged up, although it was hard to tell with his bangs in his face.

Haven turned his attention back to his food and ate all of it happily. Something moved out of the corner of his eye. He froze and glanced over at the sight of the lights in the bus turning on. It was on in Deimeon's room. Haven quickly returned to his food and hoped no one noticed.

"Hey Cherish, we got you a salad with chicken." Flare placed the tray down in front of the older woman.

"They have this here?" Cherish inquired in genuine surprise.

Flare, Kitty, Drake, and Lily burst into laughter. _Wow, _Kitty thought. _Was this woman for real. _ Kitty didn't think there was a person who didn't do fast food.

Lily glanced up and noticed Nolan outside with Lyndon. She set down her chicken club, feeling compelled to go to him. She rose and made her way out of the building. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. The wind danced through the loose strands of hair framing her face.

Lyndon waved at Lily happily as she came out. "Hi sweetie."

Nolan looked over and stood up immediately upon seeing Lily. A cold breeze went by them and Nolan paused as he saw the strands of her hair move gently across her face. He was suddenly breathless.

_She really was adorable. _Nolan thought.

He tried to run from the girl afraid that the breeze may have revealed his bandaged face. He became nervous as she approached, but he couldn't move. Her beauty had literally left him stunned.

Lily offered a soft greeting back to Lyndon, but made her way to Nolan's side. Her eyes narrowed as she got closer. She gasped as she realized what was on Nolan's face. Her fears now confirmed. Wes had attacked him.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly, slowly reaching out to touch his cheek.

He said nothing in response. He locked up and almost felt like he was shrinking. Lyndon laughed to himself and left the two alone as he walked into the fast food lobby to join the others at the table.

"Nolan?" Lily pressed, placing her palm firmly against his cheek. "I'm sorry if I caused this."

Nolan hesitated. She was touching him. Her hand was so soft and warm. He almost leaned into her palm. His brain was running a little on the slow side tonight and he finally processed what she had asked him.

"It... had... nothing to do... with... you." He assured her, not making any kind of eye contact.

He felt his face flush and turn red. Nolan knew he looked like the biggest idiot in the world at the moment. She felt so good touching him, yet he couldn't help his feeling of insecurity he always had a problem with.

Lily frowned as Nolan from her. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, holding them close. She hadn't realized he would react to her touch like that. She should have known better. She was horrible when it came to boys. She didn't know the first thing about flirting and she was a twenty one year old virgin.

"Oh... okay." She shuffled her feet ackwardly. "I hope you feel better."

She was shaking so badly, embarrassed more then she cared to admit. She turned on her heel, planning on retreating from the vicinity and her stupidity. She paused with her hand on the door handle. She didn't look at him.

"I'm sorry I touched you." She whispered.

She told herself that she wasn't going to cry over something so petty. It wasn't the first time been rejected and it wouldn't be the last. Her appetite was suddenly gone and all she wanted to do was lay down. She decided the bus was a much better idea.

She was sorry? Sorry for touching him? Nolan must have reacted worse than he thought. Her touch was wonderful. It was warm and soothing. Why couldn't he break out of this shell of his? Why did people scare him like they did. All she wanted was to reach out to him and he appreciated it. He really did.

"W-wait." He called out to her hesitate.

She paused. She didn't want to make the situation anymore awkward then it was, but she really liked Nolan. Almost enough to let herself be embarrassed again. She took a deep unsteady breath, then turned to face him.

Nolan froze up. She looked at him with those gorgeous golden eyes through those cute lenses that fit her round face. She was so very young looking even though she was considered an adult. She was almost... precious.

"I...I...um..."

Nolan was struggling to find the right words. Wait? Was he even looking to say something? Now he was shaking. Come on, she was just a girl. Why was she so hard to talk too? Please don't leave again...

"I think you're cute." Nolan blurted out without thinking. "I... I mean... you are... Yes, you're cute. I like you... Lily... I'd like to hang out... with you... more." By this point, Nolan knew he was completely red in the face.

Lily stared at him, speechless. She felt her own cheeks heating at his awkward confession. He thought she was cute. Oh god, he liked her. Without realizing it, she started to giggle with giddiness.

She moved to stand next to him and lightly touched his fingers with the tips of her own. She leaned up on her toes until her mouth was close to his ear. She decided to take a chance and leap off the cliff.

"I like you too Nolan and would love to hang out with you." She told him softly. Her fingers lingered at his wrist before she dropped her hand by his side.

The heat radiating off his body warmed her. For one insane moment she wondered what it would be like to be kissed by him. She wondered if it would be soft and careful or hard and fierce.

She stepped back needing to put some distance between them. Obviously her overactive virgin mind was running away from her. She couldn't help it, Nolan was just too delicious for his own good. She couldn't help but want to take a chunk out of him.

Nolan tried to calm himself. She was touching him and was close to him. He usually didn't like anyone this close. For some reason he didn't want to back away from her. Besides, she liked him too. Which made the situation of his confession more comfortable. She wanted to be with him. She liked him back. It was almost enough to make him smile.

"Lily... can...can I hold your hand?"

The blush darkened her cheeks, spreading across the bridge of her nose. She shyly looked up at him and nodded slightly. Her body trembling. She couldn't believe she was allowing this. She had never had a boyfriend and never showed public affection.

His head down, he made it a point to never look at her up close, no matter how much he wanted too. He gently took her hand into his and squeezed it slightly. He motioned toward McDonald's.

"Let's get you back inside where it's warm. I don't want you to catch a cold." With that, he led her back into the restaurant.

Disclaimer-Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

All Characters are owned by Dragondoneit and Badkittyitachi.


	4. Chapter 4

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 4

Kitty threw her trash away and decided that she needed to get some fresh air. The lobby was feeling almost suffocating and she kept thinking about Deimeon. She headed out the double doors just as Nolan and Lily were coming in from outside.

They were holding hands which was absolutely adorable. She smiled in approval at them. It was about time that Nolan found someone that suited him. He was always alone and always so quiet. She really hoped that Lily would appreciate Nolan the way she should.

Kitty made her way to the bus, pushing the door open. She stepped inside and paused. Someone was on the bus. There was a light on in the back. She could have sworn everyone was inside McDonald's.

She made her way to the back of the bus and stopped outside Deimeon's bedroom. She wondered when he got back and how he knew where they were. She noticed the door was slightly a jar. She pushed it open slowly.

Deimeon had just taken off his bloody clothes and slipped them into a bag, putting them aside. He was furious. All he could think about was his encounter with his wretched mother. How dare she come to him just to brag about her shadow children. He unconsciously touched the large scar over his heart. A thick pink flaw in his skin that could never completely heal.

"Damn her!" He yelled. "What is she planning?"

He paced the room to try and collect himself. He needed to get the rest of the blood off that wouldn't wash off in the river. He grabbed his towel. He gritted his teeth when the familiar scent of vanilla filled his nose. Shit. She had bad timing.

He backed away from the door and sat on the bed. He rested his head in his palms and felt like he may cry out of frustration. Why not add a little more to his platter of fucking problems. It's not like he didn't have enough of them.

"Deimeon?" Kitty called softly.

The vibe coming out of his room was thick and dark, almost sinister. She knew that she should follow her instinct and leave, but her body wouldn't listen. She needed to know he was okay. She had been so worried since they left him behind.

"Can... Can I come in?" She inquired, hands shaking slightly.

He looked himself over in the mirror. No blood. He put the small picture of Kitty he had at his bed side into the drawer. He was still edgy but her voice calmed him once again. He wrapped the towel around his waist and sat on the bed.

"Yeah Kitty, you can come in."

She pushed the door open the rest of the way and gaped at the nearly naked Deimeon. Okay, she wasn't expecting to be greeted by this. It was almost too distracting, but she was good at avoiding. She had been doing it with Deimeon since she first joined the band.

"Are you okay? When did you get back? How did you find us? Where were you?" The questions kept coming as her concern took over and relief that he was back safely.

He offered her a prize winning smile. "Well to answer your question in order. Yes, I'm fine. I got back about ten minutes ago. I found you with the GPS on my phone, and I was out meeting with a producer." He sighed. "Kitty, I'm sorry about earlier. I... I over reacted. I guess I just have a weird way of protecting you. I should have known better. After all, I did meet that sleaze ball ex of yours and didn't much care for him."

So much so that he ripped him apart eight different ways in a dark alleyway that he had left a bloody mess. That was something he would never tell Kitty about. It was something she didn't need to know.

"That doesn't matter right now." She snapped. "Promise me you will never get and leave like that without telling me first. You terrified me." Kitty retorted, chocking back a sob.

She wouldn't cry in front of him. It was hard though, her relief was staggering upon seeing him. She hadn't realized just how worried she was about him until now. She really didn't want to have to go through this again. It was too much for her mental state.

Deimeon looked upon the girl with concern. He hadn't realized she was so worried about him. It was kind of refreshing and surprising. She usually tried to avoid him as much as possible.

"I... promise." He answered. "I promise I won't leave you again like that." He stood up and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for the concern Kitty. But really I'm alright."

She watched him closely. Her heart hammering in her chest at his closeness. She tilted her head back so she could stare deep into his emerald green eyes. God, she could lose herself in them.

"Okay... and Deimeon I really don't like to be lied too." She stated. "I've known you for over a year now and I can tell when you lie to me. I don't like it."

He frowned. "I'm not lying. I swear I'll be a good boy and tell you if I leave somewhere."

"I'm not talking about that. I know you weren't with a Producer."

"What else would I be doing?" He asked casually.

"Maybe hunting." Kitty retorted, trying to hide the hurt that was a huge ache in her chest.

"Uh..." Deimeon swallowed the lump in his throat.

She had heard him and Haven back at the venue. He breathed a frustrated sigh. He had hoped he would never have to show her. He wanted Kitty so bad and when she knew what he was she would no doubt be terrified of him.

"Okay Kitty. I... I will show you something, but you have to promise not to scream or run away when you see it." He looked down at himself and reaccessed his words considering his situation. "Um... I promise it had nothing to do with anything below my waist." He laughed nervously.

Kitty stared at him for a long moment. She had known for a while now that there was something different about the Black Dove's singer. It looked like it was finally time to know for sure what that something was. She giggled uneasy.

"Does this mean I'm fully apart of the demented family?" She was trying to lighten the mood for both there sakes.

"We're not demented, we're deranged." Deimeon replied with a slight smile that melted her. "Okay. Here it goes. I... I am from another world of magical beings. I used to rule the underworld, but I left that life behind and met the others in my band. I... I have never wanted to go back... I like it here. I like what I do. I like all of you guys." He paused for a second. "Every few weeks or so, I have to hunt. I... I have been cursed to a need to feed. I... I feed on..."

He couldn't say it. Not in front of Kitty. He loved her too much to break what little chance he had with her, but he knew she needed to know. He paused to gauge her reaction to all that he's explained to her so far.

Kitty stared at him in shock, then started laughing. Well she had to admit, at least the lie was original. She hadn't expected something like that to leave his mouth. She expected something like he went hunting for his next sexual orgy. He was the biggest playboy she knew.

"Very funny." She responded with sarcasm. "Look if you don't want to tell me then that's fine." She moved to leave.

"Kitty, wait!" He begged. "Please, I'm only having a hard time with this because I don't want you to be scared. I... I really care about you Kitty and I value our relationship. Oh god," He began to get a little frantic. "If I could change what I am, I would. What I wouldn't give to be human. Then maybe... I could even have a chance of being with you." Deimeon felt himself on the verge of tears. "Please don't be scared of me... I'd never hurt you..." He finished on a whisper.

He closed his eyes, letting his wings free from his back and cringed, waiting to hear the scream he knew would come from her. He waited and still the room was silent. He opened one eye to see her.

Kitty was having a hard time understanding what the hell he was so frantic about. It was almost scary to see him this way. She took a step forward to go and comfort him. She reached up with her hand so that she could lay it on his cheeks when the room was suddenly filled with huge black wings.

She snatched her hand back in surprise and gasped softly. She froze with her hands pressed tightly to her chest. Slowly everything he had been telling her fell together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. She let her hands drop to her side. Oh god, he hadn't been lying to her at all. He wasn't human. He was something completely foreign to her.

"Oh fuck..." She whispered as the world started to tilt.

Wait, it was just her passing out.

Deimeon caught her quickly before she hit the floor and carried her bridal style to his bed and laid her down. He retracted his wings so they wouldn't get in the way. He sat down next to her, staring at her.

Haven was going to kill him, but he didn't care. She needed to know. It would have been a matter of time before she found out any way. He was surprised he had managed to hide it from her this long.

Chances were that she wouldn't want to stay and that would be okay. Deimeon wouldn't blame her, but he wasn't sure if he could let her go. He wanted her like he'd wanted no other. That's why it was so hard to tell her the truth and considering her past, once she was spooked, it seemed to stick with her.

He growled loudly in frustration and wrapped his arms around himself, cursing his own existence. He clawed his broad shoulders leaving crimson ribbons as the beast in him seemed to be taking over. It didn't want to let her go either.

Kitty slowly came too. She was laying on a bed, but she didn't remember how she had gotten there. She shifted and pain exploded in her head. She moaned from the intensity of it.

She let her eyes flutter open, squinting in the bright light. Deimeon was the first thing she saw. A smile of pleasure formed on her lips. She decided she liked waking up to the sight of his handsome face.

Suddenly everything came back to her like a deadly tidal wave. Her smile faded as she searched Deimeon's eyes to make sure she hadn't had some bizarre dream. She hadn't. His eyes told it all. From concern, fear, sadness, self loathing and hatred. She knew it had been real and she had passed out like a little girl.

"I'm sorry." She wasn't quite sure what exactly she was apologizing for, but she felt she owed it to him.

He had split his biggest darkest secret to her and she passed out before she could reassure him that it was okay. She was just a big baby. Or maybe it was because he was so saddened by what he was that it tore at her heart. She wanted to take the pain away, replace it.

He smiled down at her. "Don't apologize Kitty. You're taking it rather well. Lyndon screamed like a woman when he found out."

Deimeon offered her a drink of water, the ice clinking against the side of the glass softly. He shifted the towel around his neck to hide the recent claw marks he'd given himself. They were already healing and would be gone by morning. No reason to freak her out more.

"I can't believe this. I mean you really aren't human." She whispered, then took a small sip of the water. "I knew that the ears and fangs were real, but I didn't want to believe that you weren't human." She pushed herself up into a sitting position.

She stared at him for a long moment, then gathered her courage. She reached out and lightly touched his bottom lip. He felt soft and warm to her touch. No different then how she would feel.

She gently applied pressure to his lip until he opened his lips. She pressed the tip of her finger to his fang and inwardly flinched at how sharp it was. She swallowed hard as her other hand touched his pointed ear. Unbelievable. She couldn't believe this.

Deimeon closed his eyes in sweet bliss as she touched him. His body lit up in response. A familiar warmth shot through him accompanied by a tingling in his spine. Deimeon resisted the urge to moan at her touch. Ancients above, her hands were amazing. So soft and gentle, small and curious. Without thinking, Deimeon wrapped his lips around her finger and sucked gently.

Kitty's body jerked in surprise as Deimeon's warm wet mouth closed around her finger. Her first instinct was to pull away, but she resisted the urge. Pleasure slammed through her body at his gentle suckling and pooled in between her legs making her extremely wet.

She couldn't stop the moan that escaped from her lips as her finger brushed against the tip of his sharp canine. Jesus, what was wrong with her. She should be absolutely terrified of him. Not squirming around on his bed like a bitch in heat while his green eyes practically glowed at her with unbridled lust. She needed to put the reins on her libido and put a halt to this before it went any further.

_Fuck that! _Her body screamed. _Get naked and get busy. All you need to do is grab the edge of that pathetic excuse of a towel and have a hay day with the hard cock he hid underneath it. _

_Shut up! _Kitty screamed silently at her libido as she started to tremble from restraint.

Deimeon smelt lust on her so strong he could almost taste it. He almost lost control of himself as his beast rose to the surface. He responded to her needs and captured her lips in a furious kiss. Her taste was more amazing than he could have ever imagined. He wanted to explore every inch of her mouth with his tongue. Hell, he wanted to explore her whole body with it.

Deimeon's kiss became so demanding and needy that he almost felt selfish as he tasted every part of her hot wet mouth. He couldn't help it. She was every he had imagined her to be a more. She was so supple and submissive. She was perfect.

Kitty gasped when Deimeon's lips crushed against hers and his tongue invaded her mouth, exploring every crevice. She shuddered in pleasure and melted against him. Her restraint dissolving into nothing but a shadow of a memory. The man could kiss like no other. His mouth made her instantly think of sex.

Her body was so ready for him it was painful. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder's knocking the towel away from him. Her fingers found deep grooves in the flesh of his back.

Deimeon hissed as he withdrew from her mouth. Instantly the pleasure was replaced with pain. She frowned up at him, concerned at his reaction. What had he done to himself?

"Careful babe," He informed her. "A little sore there." He dipped his head down to continue his selfish tonguing over the soft skin of her neck.

"What happened? They fell like claw marks. I thought you said you weren't hurt?" She demanded, confusion and concern lacing her soft voice.

Her lust was slowly evaporating into worry. Deimeon didn't seemed bothered as he lathered her skin with his tongue. She was having a hard time concentrating, but she was really concerned about it.

"You should let me take care of it so it doesn't get infected." She told him breathlessly.

"It'll be fine." He murmured.

His heart was warmed by the worry she had for him. His cock hardened as he traced her soft skin with his lips. Deimeon took his time exploring what little bare flesh he had. Eventually he ran his hands along her arms, stroking them gently as he licked her neck.

"How are you feeling Kitty?" He asked in a deep husky voice. "You're not getting uncomfortable, are you?" God he hoped not.

"No, but..." She swallowed hard. She had just found out he wasn't human and they hadn't really talked about it at all. She didn't even know what he was. If she didn't stop this she knew she would regret it. "I don't think I'm quite ready for this Deimeon." She whispered in an uneven voice.

Deimeon sighed, but he hid his frustration behind a smile. "I understand, Kitty. Really I do. I want you to feel fully comfortable if this ever happens again. I'm glad you told me before we got too far." Tell that to his hard cock and hot needy body.

Deimeon separated himself from her and did his best to hide his erection, standing at full attention under the towel. He had waited a whole year. What was another few years. He was going to go crazy at this rate. He had never been celibate for more then a day or two.

Kitty could see the disappointment in Deimeon's eyes that he tried to hide behind his fake smile. She decided she needed to get some fresh air before they hit the road again.

"Excuse me." She muttered as she got off his bed.

"Bye Kitty. I hope this doesn't change anything between us."

God did he feel needy. What he meant to say was 'Don't go, because if you do I'm going to tear the door down and barricade you in here with me.' Damn it. He wanted her so badly. When was the last time Deimeon, the sex god, got laid anyway?

"This changes nothing Deimeon. We'll talk when we get moving again." She went for the door.

Wait! He wanted to say, but resisted. When she was gone, Deimeon got an overwhelming urge to break and shatter everything in his room. He paced around again, growling loudly in his throat and took deep uneven breaths.

What he thought he had calmed enough , he laid on his bed and removed the towel. His thick and long erection stood tall against his belly. Unable to resist his urges, he reached into the drawer and pulled out Kitty's picture followed by a bottle of warming lubricant.

He slathered his cock in the liquid and moaned loudly at the feel of it. He stroked himself slowly. He groaned loudly as he looked at Kitty's picture. The images in his head were fresh enough and he could still taste her on his lips. He tossed the picture aside and closed his eyes. He continued sliding his hand around his hard and rigid shaft.

Her beautiful face was burned into his memory. Her lingering scent filled his nostrils. He imagined her naked under him as he took her, sliding in and out of her supple young body.

He quickened his strokes, thinking of her full breasts bouncing up and down as he rammed into her g-spot repeatedly. The tingling in his spine grew as he arched his back. The heat was so intense, his cock so slick.

"Kitty." He moaned out as he came all over himself.

His body went limp on the bed as he caught his breath. It wasn't enough. He knew that even before he had started. It wasn't the same as taking the one he lusted after. He needed her to be able to sate his desire and the beast.

He quickly wiped himself with the towel. He decided now was a good time to take a shower which had been his original intention before Kitty had showed up. He knew he would probably end up jacking off in the shower too. He had been doing a lot of that lately and it was really starting to get old.

Disclaimer-Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

All Characters are owned by Dragondoneit and Badkittyitachi.


	5. Chapter 5

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 5

Kitty stood against the side of the bus. She watched everyone in the lobby of McDonald's. Did they all know about Deimeon? She knew that Haven knew, but didn't Nolan, Wes, and Lyndon? Obviously The Suicide Angels didn't.

She shuttered at the mental image of Deimeon standing in front of her, wings out. He had looked so deadly yet strangely handsome. She stopped at the thought. She had it bad. If she still found him appealing after what he had revealed to her. She was already gone.

She yanked her hair out of her ponytail she always wore. The thick brown locks cascaded down around her, resting on her shoulders. The wind blew around her, cooling off her heated body. She sighed deeply. The temperature was just right and felt good.

God damn it! She was still sexually aroused for him. She closed her eyes and the image of Deimeon's tone bod y in nothing but a towel invaded her mind. He was tall with broad shoulders. He had the perfect body that all the fans went ballistic over. She was so tiny compared to him. She felt safe with him. That scared her even more then what he was. She started to pace without realizing it.

Okay, she wasn't going to be a coward about this. She would talk to him and she would get answers, then she would let it go. For both of their sakes, not just hers. She knew that Deimeon was still himself and that her knowing what he was didn't change that fact.

Deimeon washed away the sins of his slaughter down the bathtub drain. He let the hot water run over his body while he stood there still strung out from his encounter with Kitty earlier.

He stepped out of the shower and turned it off. He grabbed a towel, wrapping it securely around his waist. He used another one to vigorously towel out his long blond hair. He intended to just go straight to bed and leave the troubles of today for tomorrow. Deimeon caught his reflection in the mirror as he glanced up. He curled his lip in disgust. He took it off the wall and threw it against the closet that held all the towels.

Ancients, where had all this anger come from? Deimeon was never disgusted with himself. Well, never this bad at least. He caught the scent of vanilla again and cursed under his breath. Yeah, definitely terrible timing. Again. She had a knack for it.

Kitty froze when she heard a shattering of glass. She ran to the bathroom door and swung it open without knocking. She stared at Deimeon. Her eyes trailing down his perfect body and down to the floor. She couldn't stop from blushing.

Glass laid at his feet. She realized it was the mirror. Her eyes flew up to lock onto Deimeon's own emerald stare. That's when Kitty put two and two together. Something was seriously wrong with him.

"What's going on, Deimeon? Talk to me." Kitty ordered softly.

Not that he didn't love Kitty's presence, but she was the last person he could be around right now. He was horny, angry, and tired. Not to mention that he was dangerous when he was in this kind of mood. She wasn't safe around him right now.

"You need to get away from me Kitty." He snarled. "I am not entirely... I can't... you aren't..." He growled in frustration as he gripped his head trying to find the words.

Kitty knew she shouldn't push him. She knew that he was more volatile then a nuclear bomb, but it was obvious that Deimeon needed something. She wasn't exactly sure what it was. Not yet at least, but she was going to try to figure it out and help him.

"Fine." She snapped. "I'll be in your room when you're ready to talk to me."

She turned on her heel and high tailed it into his room. As soon as she shut the door, she started stripping her clothes off. She wasn't stupid. She knew Deimeon had stopped sleeping with people about five months after she joined the Black Doves.

She knew now that it must have been a way to release the pent up energy of the beast locked inside. She also knew she was now the only one show could calm it. She threw her clothes in the corner and stood naked in the middle of the room. She wasn't shy about being nude. Being an ex-stripper does that to a person, but she grew nervous anyway because it was Deimeon.

She took a deep breath to calm her unsteady nerves. She could do this for him because she cared for him and wanted to help him. She had to remember that he wasn't like all the other men in her life that forced themselves on her. Deimeon respected her.

Deimeon used his powers to sweep the glass shards into a pile and disappear. He ran his hand through his hair. He didn't know what to do. He was on a short fuse and could easily say the wrong thing to Kitty. Whatever she had to say, he hoped it would be brief. He really wanted to fall into bed and end this dreadful night.

He walked into his room and stopped dead in his tracks. Kitty was standing naked in his room. He blinked a couple times to make sure he wasn't imagining it as his body grew hot and his cock thickened under the towel.

"Um... Babe... usually you get undressed in your own room, not somebody else is room. Unless of course it's... never mind. What are..." He looked her over nervously. "...You doing?"

"What does it look like?" Kitty retorted uncomfortable.

Before she lost her nerve, she stepped forward and yanked the towel from Deimeon's lean hips. She stepped back as her eyes widened. He was huge. His cock was fully erect and a small bead of precum stood on the tip of the mushroom head. She swallowed hard as her body warmed. Her body was reacting to the sight and she could feel the juices pooling between her legs. She couldn't stop her body from reacting and the word 'slut' slid into her mind. She ignored it or she would lose her nerve.

She crawled on top of his bed and waited to see what he would do. He still stood in the open doorway. Kitty's heart stopped, heat rising to her cheeks. She was so embarrassed. Anyone could walk in and see this. What the hell was she thinking? Maybe this was a very bad idea.

Deimeon was stunned to say the least. He wasn't expecting her to react this way at all. She was on his bed, naked and waiting. His cock twitched in response to that. His beast roared to life and urged Deimeon to take his prize.

He watched the color rise to her cheeks and he found himself liking the way it looked on her. She was adorable when she blushed. He watched her lay down on her back almost in a blatant invitation. Her breasts perfectly round with pink tips just waiting to be savored. Deimeon slowly moved to the side of the bed trying not to lose control.

Kitty held her breath as Deimeon moved toward her. Her heart slammed against her chest and she had to remind herself to breath. She was scared, but also extremely turned on. She prayed that he would treat her gently unlike everyone else. She swallowed hard.

"No." Kitty looked up at him startled. "This isn't how... I want it." He finished out loud, almost more to himself then her. He offered her a small smile. "Where's the sport in it if I can't strip you down myself?" He leaned down and grabbed her clothes, offering them back to her. "Not that I don't want too. God do I ever... But, I want to love you Kitty and I want you to feel the same about me." Was he insane? He's never put off a willing woman, but it was the truth. "I want your heart, not your body." He felt his mood lighten and slowly start to feel back to normal level. "So... what's the real reason you wanted to talk to me?" Kitty stared at him in disbelief.

_No fucking way! _She thought. Part of her was happy he didn't take her up on her offer, but another part of her... oh god, she was going to break down and start crying. She fought back her tears, hiding them behind a smile just like he did all the time. She took her clothes from him.

"Let me go get dressed in my room, then I'll come talk to you." Her voice was steady.

_Thank god for small miracles. _She thought as she went to leave. The tears started to fall as soon as she was in the hall. She cursed herself for not being strong enough to hold them back. She couldn't help it. She felt so trashy, sleazy and most of all, humiliated. What the hell had she been thinking? She was going to lock herself in her room and never leave. She was such a fucking idiot.

Deimeon pondered if it had been a mistake to let Kitty walk out the door. He quickly forgot about that when he realized exactly what he had said to her. What shocked him even more was that he had meant every word he had told her. He really wanted to love her.

Deimeon paced his room as he waited for her. His mind kept going back to Kitty on his bed completely naked. He humored the idea of inhaling her scent that was surely left behind on his sheets, but he knew he was on a short leash as it was. He really didn't want to torture himself anymore then possible. He walked to the door and glanced down the hall toward Kitty's room.

"Kitty? Are you coming back?"

She heard him, but didn't respond. She had locked her door behind her and fallen onto the bed, face first. Her clothes fell to the floor out of her limp fingers. She crawled under the blankets, pulling them completely over her head, soundless sobs racking her small frame.

She pushed an arm out from under the covers and blindly fumbled around for the play button on her CD player. She pressed the button in when she found it and Portishead filled her room. She chocked on the next sob and wished she could just disappear.

Deimeon frowned. She was locking up again and he knew it. He knew by her lack of response and the music blaring from her room. No way was Deimeon going to let her lock up again when it had taken him this long to get her to loosen up and relax around all of them.

Willing his body to change, he morphed into a small blonde mouse. He scurried down the hall and squeezed himself under her door. His little ears were assaulted by the music blaring out of her small radio. He stood in the middle of her room and looked up at the bed curiously.

Kitty was full out sobbing now that the music was covering any sound she made. She clung to her body pillow as if it was her life line and would save her from drowning in her own tears. She was so pathetic.

The saddest part of this whole situation was that she did love Deimeon. He was the first male that had ever respected her and never forced her into anything she didn't want. The only thing was that even though Deimeon was respectful, he was also known as the biggest playboy on the face of the planet. If a girl offered herself to him, he never said no... except with her.

Her body convulsed hard on another loud sob. She slowly begun to realize she didn't care what he was. He would always be Deimeon to her. The man who saved from self destruction. The man who saved her from being made an object instead of a person.

Kitty was crying. What had he done? Was it wrong to deny her? Should he even have a right to comfort her? Deimeon didn't know what to do, but he couldn't let her be so upset. He transformed again into a cat and meowed at her from the floor.

Kitty froze at the sound of a cat in her room. They didn't have a cat. She knew this for a fact. She frowned and wiped away her tears. She slowly pulled the covers down her body. She stared at the orange cat in the middle of her room. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and looked again at the floor. The cat was still there.

"Oh my god! I'm going crazy now!" She muttered to herself as she had a stare off with a strange cat in her room.

He jumped up on the bed with her and rubbed against her, purring loudly. He wiped her tears away with his fluffy tail, trying to comfort her as best as he could in the current form he was in.

Kitty let out a small yelp as the cat made itself comfortable on her bed. She glared at the small mammal, trying to figure out where the hell it came from. The cat tilted it's furry head as it purred at her.

It's large eyes were the color of emerald green. The same as Deimeon. She froze, trying to rationalize in her brain that it couldn't be Deimeon, but she already knew the answer. She scrambled out of her bed, nakedness forgotten and glared at the feline.

"Deimeon?" She half asked, half demanded.

Hmm. He'd only wanted to comfort her. He could care less if she knew it was him or not, but she really didn't sound thrilled. Mentally sighing, he jumped off the bed and moved to the door. He scratched at it to notify her, he wanted to be let out. He didn't want to feel like he was invading her privacy, but he wanted to be there for her at the time. Shrugging it off, he mentally projected to her.

Yeah, it's me. Sorry Kitty. I didn't mean to invade. I just wanted to comfort you so bad, and I didn't know how else to get in.

Kitty stared down at the cat. A wave of dizziness and nausea hit her at the same time. She debated puking on him. It would serve him right. Instead she sank down to the floor putting her head between her knees, breathing slowly and deeply. When the spell past she could fill the storm of tears rising again. She turned to glare at the cat, oblivious of the fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.

"If you want out so bad, I'm sure you can manage it. Since you managed to get in here." Her voice was hollow, empty.

She knew she was shutting down. Too many emotions at one time. Concern, shock, sexual frustration, self degrading, anger, sadness, scared, hurt. Her nerves were done. She was done. She didn't want to feel anymore.

Deimeon quickly transformed to human, or, well, himself and wrapped Kitty up into his strong arms, crushing her to his chest. He held her close and slowly started to rock her back and forth. It was killing him to see her like this.

"Kitty please, just let me be here for you. That's all I ask."

She didn't fight him. There was nothing left in her. In reality, she really did need him. She needed his strength, his warmth, but most of all she just needed him exactly how he was.

She nodded against his chest as she buried his face into it. More tears flowed down her cheeks. She knew this breakdown was a long time coming. This was the first time since she was a kid that she actually cried. She had just locked all her emotions up and threw away the key. She couldn't even voice how grateful that he was there to pick up the pieces.

Deimeon cradled Kitty in his arms, happy that he could be there for her in anyway he could. He reached out and pulled her comforter off her bed and wrapped it around them both. He gently rocked Kitty back and forth. He stroked her hair and rested his chin against the top of her head. He caught the scent of her shampoo and breathed it in.

Ancients, how he wished he could make it all right for her. What he wouldn't give just to give her a normal life growing up. He knew she had it rough when she was young and he could only imagine what she'd been through. He kissed her gently on her head.

"I'm here for you whenever you need me Kitty. I'll always be here." The tender moment was rudely interrupted by a loud sneezing and stomping in the hall.

"Okay," Bellowed Haven. "Who the hell has been near a cat? I'm allergic to those fuckin' things."

Kitty cringed at the loud voice. The words slowly sunk into her foggy mind and then was followed by a soft giggle which turned into a fit of full on laughter. She tilted her head back and looked up at Deimeon with a little twinkle in her bloodshot eyes. She suddenly felt better.

"Thank you." She muttered with a private smile that was reserved only for him.

His heart warmed, gazing upon the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen on her face. He gave her a smile right back. It reflected his own warm feelings of genuine happiness that he was the one who lit up her face this way.

"You're welcome Kitty. Whenever you need me, you know where I am." Deimeon then whispered. "Do you think I should cough up a hair ball in his shoe?"

Kitty giggled into his chest as she imagined just how many shades of red Haven's face would get. The idea entertained her more then it probably should have. It was hard not to be entertained by Haven's discomfort, because he was such an asshole.

"I have a video camera." Her response was muffled by Deimeon's shirt. God, she felt so good having him wrapped around her like this. "Will you stay with me tonight?" She asked in a weak voice afraid he would deny her again.

"Of course Kitty. I'd love too." He answered softly, touched at the invitation.

"I guess I should get dressed then." Suddenly aware of how very naked she was against him.

Her body heated in response. Her libido making itself known once more and her body demanded some kind of release. Fuck, she had it bad and if she didn't get away from him she was going to prove how big of a slut she could really be.

Smelling her arousal, Deimeon took a deep breath and said reluctantly. "Yeah, might be good. Haven could barge in at any minute looking for that cat." He looked her over with a hot gaze. "Not that I'm not enjoying the view or anything."

A deep blush lit Kitty's cheeks. Her sex weeping from the hooded gaze Deimeon gave her. She really needed to get some clothes on. She scrambled out of his arms and over to her dresser, trying to ignore his gaze.

His cock hardened at the sight of her perfect backside. All he could think about was plunging inside of her while she held onto the dresser to balance herself from his onslaught. He bit his lip and forced himself to shake the images from his head. He almost whimpered as she covered that flawless body with her lounging clothes.

"Sounds like we're moving again." He said trying to distracted his perverted mind.

Kitty nodded. She went to the door and unlocked it. She glanced over her shoulder giving her best sexed up look, just to see if she could do it and have the same affect that he did on her. She smiled lightly, licking her bottom lip.

"I'll be back." She told herself she wasn't swaying her hips in a suggestive manner as she had exited the room, but she knew she was.

Wes exited his room just as Kitty walked out of hers. He watched her walk down the hall, a confident step in her gait that Wes had never seen before. He watched her move with a new found interest that caused him to be immediately irritated.

Why the fuck was he looking at her like that? It's not like his ugly face would be attractive to her. Why the fuck was he even thinking about this? Wes jammed his hand through his hair in frustration. He suddenly had this feeling of insignificance. His 'friend', if that's what he could be called, was playing games out in the lounging area with his new girlfriend. Nolan had asked if Lily could ride with them and it him off to no end.

Now he was looking over Kitty with an interest that shouldn't be there. He had no idea where it had come from. She had eyes for Deimeon, as Deimeon had eyes for her. It made Wes sick. They were a couple of fucking love birds pining over each other like horny dogs.

_Whatever they have won't last. _Thought Wes. _There's no such thing as love, just a need to fuck. _

He said it over and over to try to calm himself down, but it just seemed to piss him off more. He was pulling his hair now. Wes saw the group out in the living room smiling and carrying on. He knew that if he showed his hideous face, everyone would shut up until he left. That's just the way it was. That's always the way it was. They were scared of him, and he knew it.

Why blame them? He was a fucked up miserable excuse for a human being, that was trudging through the thick waist deep shit that was life. Wes was seeing red now. He slammed his fist onto Nolan's door, who's room was directly across from his. He busted the cheap wood as pain shot up his arm. He was still pissed.

Even as his hand bled and ached. He still gripped his head in a futile attempt to quell his boiling rage. He needed something more. He needed deep wounds in his flesh just to make him forget his turmoil. Anything... anything else besides this.

He looked at his arms and fell against the wall. He clawed at his distorted skin. He was covered in scars from neck to feet. There wasn't a single spot on his body that didn't have them except for his face. They were memories of his past written into his skin. With his black fingernails, he attempted to reopen the scars on his arms. It proved practically useless, as he fell to his knees.

"Fuck," He whispered under his breath.

He swore he choked on a sob, but he wasn't crying. Wes hadn't cried since he was a child tied to his parent's bed, while strangers paid money to fuck the shit out of him. The memories came back and Wes screamed. He no doubt got the attention of all his fucking band mates, but he could give less of a shit.

Deimeon came out of Kitty's room and was the first to respond. Wes looked up as rage filled his head. He suddenly felt possessive, angry... Jealous. Why the fuck did Deimeon get her?

"Wes, calm down." Deimeon coaxed softly. "I'm here for you my brother."

Wes unleashed his bloody knuckle across Deimeon's face and stood up over the inhuman creature. He was too angry to calm down and Deimeon really was the last person he wanted to try to calm him.

"Fuck you, you ass!" Wes screamed. "Leave me the fuck alone! ALL OF YOU! You can all go to hell. I hate you! Every single one of you miserable assholes. I fucking hate you!"

Wes kicked Deimeon as hard as he could. It wasn't until after Wes had done it that he realized Deimeon did nothing to defend himself. He let Wes beat up on him. Eyes wide with the realization, Wes backed away from the blond who looked back at him with a remorseful gaze. It made Wes feel pathetic. Weak.

He shook with anger as he continued to back up until he was in his room again. He slammed the door, practically knocking the damn thing out of it's frame. Wes fell to his knees, grabbed his hair and screamed. Dry sobs raked his body as it shook out of control. Wes wanted to cry.

Lily stared in confusion and feat at the display in the hall. Wes Merritt scared the hell out of her. She feared him and for him. If Flare had decided to ride with them, she would know how to handle this situation. She had always had a way of knowing how people thought.

She glanced at Nolan, who was sitting next to her. No emotion was evident on his face, but Lily knew now what had happened to him. Had he let Wes beat on him the way Deimeon had? Without a fight.

_The ones who need love the most are the ones who least deserve it._

That's what her mother always told her when she got picked on at school. That's what they were doing for Wes. Lily's heart melted. She wanted to help too, but was way too terrified. The man was way too violent for her to handle.

Nolan saw the look of fear on Lily's face. He reluctantly wrapped an arm around her, unsure of how she would react. Plus, he really wasn't good with comfort or affection. He was very awkward with women period.

"It's okay." Nolan told her. "Don't be scared. Wes won't hurt you. He'd do more damage to himself first."

Lily frowned at his words even as she relaxed under the security in his comfort. She studied his face. A bandage covered his right eye and his bottom lip was split down the middle, slightly swollen.

"So did you beat yourself up then?" Lily retaliated, slightly irritated that he would make up excuses for Wes for the abuse.

Nolan sensed the irritation in her voice and it made him tense again. He shifted uncomfortably and focused of the carpet. He didn't exactly know how to respond to her aggression.

"I... um, no... Wes did it. But it's okay. Honest. Wes just loses his temper... loses control of it I guess would be a better way of putting it." Nolan looked everywhere in the room, but at her, his head hung low. He was nervous that he had said the wrong thing. "I won't let Wes hurt you."

Lily's heart melted along with her irritation at Nolan's last words. She felt her cheeks heat and she couldn't stop from leaning forward and kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Thank you Nolan."

His skin felt hot again. His whole body warmed. His heart sped up in response to her light kiss. Nolan suddenly thought of how hot he would feel if she kissed other parts of his body. His cock twitched in agreement.

"Uh, um... your welcome... Lily... um... I have to go to the... bathroom now... I'll be back."

He separated from her and bolted down the hall. He moved past Kitty trying to hide his burning face. On top of that, he almost ran smack into Deimeon, who came into the room rubbing his cheek. Deimeon chuckled to himself as Nolan ran passed him. He easily smelt Nolan's arousal.

"What the fuck is his problem now?" Haven asked. "Are the Teletubbies in his head singing to him or sum' thing?"

Deimeon frowned. "Ah no, I'm not sure what set him off this time."

Haven sunk deeper into the recliner as he sipped on a Budweiser. "Forget him D," He answered. "Look the games on. Come sit next to me."

Deimeon looked over at Haven, then at Kitty. He smiled at her and sat next to her. Haven raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He let out a half snort, half laugh. He continues watching the television.

"Pussy whipped." He grumbled.

Haven then berated himself. He felt the same way himself. He cleaned all his clothes, showered everyday, and shaved every morning only leaving his dark thin goatee. It wasn't like him at all. He hadn't met with much success in getting Cherish to notice him, but when he was around her he felt like he needed to groom himself. She was so high class and he was so... not.

Shrugging his thoughts off, he went back to concentrating on the football game that was on the television. He glanced over at the other one that Nolan and Lily were playing every so often, but only on commercials.

Kitty nonchalantly watched Haven as she milked her cup of Chai tea. Her nightly ritual before she brushed her teeth and called it a night. She had noticed a change in Haven since the Suicide Angels joined the tour. He was cleaner and even from her spot next to Deimeon she could smell his aftershave.

_What has gotten into him? _She thought

He hadn't really changed much, except for his personal hygiene. She wondered what had set this new habit into motion. It was very unusual for Haven. He always smelt like a dumpster. It was a nice change.

"Hey Haven?" _There's no harm in asking. _She added mentally.

"Hm?" He grunted in response, eyes still on the T.V. Screen.

"What's up with the new found cleanliness?"

"Don't know what your talkin' bout." Kitty giggled at him.

"Your cologne smells nice. What is it?" She asked sweetly.

"My ass."

Kitty raised an eyebrow at him. She bit back a smile and decided to go out on a limb and see what his response would be in reply. After all she had caught him watching Cherish a few times when he thought no one was looking.

"I'm sure Cherish will love it." She responded, draining her cup.

"Why the hell would I care 'bout that short pompous bitch?" Haven immediately regretted the comment as he realized Lily was still in the room. He cursed under his breath. "Cuz ya know, who the hell cares what anyone thinks?" God there was no way he could cover that one.

Kitty was right. The fact that she had got more of a response then a short answer proved that Cherish was his interest. Kitty saw that Lily was glaring at Haven. Kitty decided to smooth over the comment and safe Haven's sorry ass.

"Don't worry about it Lily. Haven's an ass to everyone. He likes to call me a stripper slut because I use to be one. He doesn't mean anything by it, besides being an ass." Kitty replied as she put her cup in the sink.

"Yep." Haven added. "That's me. Just... dickin' around. No offense intended."

Deimeon's mouth dropped. Haven never took back anything he said and he usually always had something negative to say. He just couldn't believe this. After what Victoria did to Haven, Deimeon never thought he would see the day that Haven would fall for someone else.

"Holy crap. You like Cherish." Deimeon blurted out.

Kitty's musical laughter filled the room as her twinkling forest green gaze landed on Deimeon from across the room. The lead singer could be so slow at times. She would think with all his nifty tricks he had, he would have been able to figure this one out sooner.

"Wow Deimeon. You're a little slow on the uptake." Lily's jaw dropped as her brown eyes snapped to Haven.

Haven stood up suddenly, spilling his beer. "No!" He yelled. "I do not!" He extended his pointer finger from the same hand that held his giant beer can and pointed straight at Deimeon. "You need to shut the hell up you Casanova! I could say a lot about you in front of your love interest that would make her want to stay at least three hundred feet away from you."

Deimeon smiled. He knew exactly what Haven was talking about. The thing was Kitty already know everything, so Deimeon continued wearing a sly grin on his face. This was going to be extremely entertaining.

"Oh so you admit it?" He teased. "Cherish is your love interest."

Haven's face turned red, though Deimeon wasn't sure if it was from anger of embarrassment. Kitty laughed as she went to Deimeon's side and wrapped an arm around his waist. She placed her other hand on his chest and gave Lily a wink.

"Now, now Deimeon. We shouldn't tease the poor man. We should just be happy for him and wish him luck." She reprimanded in a sugar coated voice.

Haven scowled at the two and growled in frustration. "Ya two ain't worth my time." He snapped. Haven threw the beer can in the trash and stomped past them.

"Good luck Haven!" Deimeon called after him.

Haven flipped him off just before he disappeared in his room, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed off the walls on the bus, which was followed by Kitty's laughter.

Deimeon chuckled to himself, wrapping his own arm around Kitty. Suddenly Deimeon's smile faded. He got a familiar cold tingling in his spine. The shadow children were near. He was positive. He knew this feeling too well to be mistaken. Why now of all times? Nolan finally came back out from the bathroom and Deimeon got up and met him half way across the room.

"Nolan," He whispered. "I need you to take Lily to your room. Something bad is outside. Real bad. I might have to... turn beast." Nolan's eyes widened for a second as he comprehended. He nodded.

"Lily," He went to her side. "Want to... go to my room?"

Lily shook off her confusion and surprise of what just occurred and glanced up at Nolan. She nodded and stood to her feet. When she got next to him, she looked up into his evasive eyes.

"Are you okay?" She inquired softly.

"Yeah." He responded softly. "I'm just tired. Ready for bed."

Oh god, this meant he was going to sleep with that intoxicating lavender smell filling his nostrils? Or her small, soft, warm body filling the empty side of his queen size bed? He swallowed hard. It was going to be a long night.

Lily blushed a vibrant red that colored her whole face. Did this mean she was sleeping with him, in his bed? She didn't know if she was quite ready for that step yet. She was a twenty one year old virgin and she didn't know if she wanted to throw it away on a whim. Not until she was sure she was in love with Nolan.

"May... Maybe I should sleep on the couch." She stuttered.

"Lily please." Nolan begged.

"We're going to watch porn." Deimeon blurted out hoping it would deter the shy woman into going with Nolan. "It's going to be super dirty porn with lots of hardcore elements and lots of multiple sex action."

"OMG!" Lily squeaked. She latched onto Nolan's arm, her face going even redder then before if it was actually possible. "I... I'd love... to see your room, Nolan." She sputtered.

As the two walked down the hall, Deimeon opened on of the windows of the bus. He pulled himself up and out so that he was sitting on the window sill. His legs still in the bus and his upper body he pulled against the side of the outside of the bus. He glanced at the bus behind them. The one with the remaining Suicide Angels.

He would have to pull himself up before anyone in the bus following behind saw what he was doing. He caught sight of a black form moving along the other bus side and creeping under it. Damn it! They were already here. Deimeon grabbed the side of the bus and got ready to pull himself up on top.

Kitty popped open the window next to Deimeon and stuck her head out. The wind instantly sent her hair whipping around her face. She ignored it, looking up at Deimeon. His face was hard in concentration as he watched the other bus.

"What are you doing, Deimeon?" Her voice was laced with uncertainty.

Something wasn't right. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. She could feel the icy fingers gripping at her spine. She thought she saw something black moving along the other bus, but told herself she was probably seeing things. She hoped that's all it was.

"Babe, you need to get back inside, it's dangerous." He ordered. "I'll have to explain later, but you have to-"

Deimeon's words broke off as Black forms appeared from the darkness and tackled him. Deimeon tumbled out and off the bus into the darkness. Kitty's heart leap into her throat.

"DEIMEON!"


	6. Chapter 6

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 6

Deimeon felt the fangs and claws of the black beings score his flesh. He tried to fight them off as he fell. He roared in frustration and unleashed his true form. His wings shot out of his back. He ripped them from his body.

The shadow children fell away and caught themselves. They instantly transformed into large cat like creatures. Their yellow eyes glowed menacingly against their cold dark flesh. They hissed at him as they paced around revealing large ivory fangs.

Deimeon saw the shadows of darkness swirling off their flesh like black steam. They stalked through the night toward him. He looked over briefly and saw more black figures moving along the buses as they drove further away from him. He growled, his fangs elongating.

"I'm gonna send you back where you came from, you lesser beings."

We'll feed from your humans, you wretched halfling. The shadow beings said.

As they spoke, it was more like an icy whisper echoing in his head. Shadow Children were incapable of speech. They could only use telepathy, but even that was only accessible to older, more stronger Shadow Children.

In an instant the two shadows attacked. A flurry of fangs and claws. Deimeon defended well against the attack. Two Shadow Children were close to no problem for him, but he knew their real goal was the band members in the bus. He had to finish this quickly and get back to the buses to protect his family.

Kitty's heart stopped in her chest. No! She screamed in her head. She had watched Deimeon fall out of the bus and disappearing in the darkness. She had no clue what had exactly attacked him, but she was scared and there was nothing she could do.

Suddenly more of the weird shadow creatures appeared in the night around the bus. She fumbled with the window and slammed it closed. She moved to the window where Deimeon had been. She tried to get it up, but it was jammed.

"Shit!" She cursed as one of those creatures made a dive for the opening. "Not..." Jerk. "On..." Tug. "Your..." Jerk. "LIFE!" Kitty screamed and the window gave way, slamming into place.

The creature crashed into the glass and then gave a wail of fury. Kitty scrambled back as she took deep calming breaths. She saw more of the shadow creatures surrounding the bus. She was trembling and couldn't seem to get a hold of herself. She wished Deimeon was here.

"Keep driving!" She snapped at John, their bus driver. "Haven!" Kitty yelled out in an eerily calm voice which slightly cracked toward the end. "Will you come here please."

"No!" Haven barked. "I ain't gonna listen to anymore of your garbage!" His words muffled from in his room.

Suddenly Wes burst from his room and fell backward. He was wrestling with a black humanoid creature. The only distinctions it had against it's black smoky flesh was two yellow glowing eyes and a full set of razor sharp teeth.

Wes grabbed it by the neck and dug his thumbs into where he guessed the windpipe would be. The creature struggled in his grasp, scratching his arms with small talons on it's fingers. It left black marks against his skin that sizzled with black steam. He bit back the pain and continued holding the creature in place.

Out of nowhere, the creature seemed to slip through his fingers and melt into the floor right out of his grasp. The creature moved along the floor as a formless shadow. It was moving quickly, eating up the distance between itself and Kitty.

Kitty watched in horror as the thing moved toward her. She looked around frantically for some form of a weapon. She grabbed the closest thing to her which happened to be a cast iron skillet out of the sink.

The creature formed out of the floor and launched toward her. With all her strength, she swung the heavy pan and nailed the creature on the side of it's black head before it landed on her.

There was a loud crack on impact then the creature slammed against the wall. While it was stunned, Kitty rushed toward Wes. She fell to her knees next to him, looking him over, worried that he was seriously hurt.

"Are you okay?" She asked, breathless.

Wes looked at his arm. The black claw marks still appeared to be seeping into black smoke from his skin. It still hurt like hell, but Wes was used to pain so he was good at blocking it out.

"I'm fine." His voice surprisingly level for how much pain he was in. "That thing is still alive." He looked at Kitty. "It's not gonna die easily." He looked over at the creature recovering from the hit. "You're taking this rather well," He stated. "Wait... you know, don't you? About Deimeon?"

"Yeah as of like maybe four fucking hours ago. So how do we kill it?" Kitty demanded, turning to face it planning of protecting Wes until he was back on his feet.

Wes rose to his feet slowly feeling stiff as a fucking board. He glared a silent challenge at the creature who hissed at them. The shadow was almost fully recovered and ready for round two.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling these are from his world. I just wrestled with that thing for ten minutes and threw everything I had at it."

The creature disappeared into the floor moving toward them once more in the form of a black shapeless puddle. Wes watched it dart across the floor. It seemed to avoid the small lights that illuminated from the window. Getting a crazy idea, Wes stepped in front of Kitty just as the creature leaped at them. Wes flicked on the hallway light.

The creature dropped like a rock. It's inhuman screeching was just barely louder than the loud popping and sizzling from it's skin as it slithered backward away from the light and disappeared into the dark part of the bus.

"Yes! Nice Wes." Kitty shouted, victoriously.

Without thinking, she hugged him quickly as she squealed in delight. She sobered and hoped Deimeon was okay. There was a scratching sound on the windows making her shiver. It wasn't the time to grow cocky. There was still a bunch of them waiting outside.

Wes stood there for a minute absolutely stunned that she had shown him any kind of affection. He thought maybe for a second he enjoyed it, but quickly buried that feeling away and became irritated.

"Hug me again and I'm gonna slice your pretty face." He threatened. Though he still couldn't stop his body from reacting as he looked her over. "So these things don't like light." He continued. He looked at the driver and cursed under his breath. That monster would no doubt go after the oblivious man in the shadows. "Get a flashlight." He whispered to Kitty. "I'm gonna distract that thing." He walked into the darker part of the bus and watched the darkness carefully. "We gotta watch John's back. The bus crashes and we're all fucked."

Kitty nodded and ran to the very back of the bus. She lifted the seat up that had a stow away compartment. There were several flashlights. She grabbed as many as she could carry.

"Wes." She hollered and tossed one his direction when he looked at her. She then proceeded to pound on Haven's door. "Get your lazy ass up! We have a crisis." Kitty called.

"The only crisis I have is that I'm trying to whack off and I keep getting interrupted!" Haven yelled from behind his door.

"Well put it away or I'm going to open your fucking door and let one of these damn shadow creatures in there to finish you off for good." Kitty snapped.

Haven was at the door and swung it open halfway. It was obvious his attempt to deter disturbances wasn't working. He could have sworn it would have worked with Kitty too. She was not his biggest fan next to Lyndon.

"What the fuck are you talkin' about woman?"

"Why don't you come out here and see for yourself." Kitty told him nonchalantly, turning and walking away from him.

Haven grumbled, wearing nothing but a tank top and stripped boxer shorts, he came out of his room. He caught sight of a shadowy figure dart behind Wes. His eyes grew wide.

"What the fuck?"

He corralled Kitty behind him with his left arm while he pulled out a .9 mm with a silencer barrel with his right hand. He walked into the other room as Wes shot him with an urgent glare. Haven planted his foot against the couch and kicked it over just as the shadow moved across the floor where the couch had been.

Haven unloaded on the creature with a full clip with deadly precision. The shape warped and screeched as it took fire. Haven walked past Wes, nailing the creature with shot after shot. It squirmed across the floor, desperately trying to escape.

Wes shined the light on the blob as it returned to it's human like form and shuffled back into the corner squealing in a morbid distorted cry. Haven continued shooting the creature as Wes slowly approached from behind Haven. With one final screech, the creature flopped against the floor sizzling. It twitched once before it slowly evaporated to nothing.

Haven loaded his gun casually and put it away in it's holster. He pulled out a cigarette from his pack and lit up. His face was calm and collected like it always was, as if nothing had transpired. He turned to Kitty and Wes noticing several more black creatures crawling past the windows.

"We got a problem." He said with cigarette in mouth.

"You think?" Kitty answered sarcastically.

"Where's D?"

Kitty raised an eyebrow then gave a heavy sigh. She glanced at Wes and then down the hall at the remaining doors that were still closed. She hoped everyone else was okay. She was glad Lily hadn't came out during all the commotion.

"He's outside fighting those things." She answered.

Suddenly the sound of an angry phone going off in one of the rooms. Kitty turned her attention to it. The ringing sounded like it was coming from Haven's room. She glanced at him.

"I think it's yours." She told Haven as a feeling of dread washed over her.

Haven walked quickly to his room and dug his phone from his trench coat pocket. He pressed the green button as he ashed his cigarette in the ashtray. He put the small brick like phone to his ear.

"Hello?" He said reluctantly.

"Tell me," A soft hard voice stated on the other end. "Have you looked outside lately?"

"Uh... Why...?"

There was a long pause on the phone. Cherish took deep breaths trying to keep fear and irritation under control. A black thing scurried past her window and she gritted her teeth.

"Don't fuck with me Haven!" Cherish snapped. Her hands were trembling as she gripped her droid phone to her ear. Drake and Flare were still sleeping soundly, thank god for small miracles. "What the fuck is going on? What the fuck do I need to do to keep my kids safe?" She cringed at the shakiness of her voice.

_Just nerves. I'm not scared. _She told herself, trying to get a grip.

"Cherish, listen to me." Haven said seriousness in place. "Turn on all the lights in the bus, okay? Can you do that? I mean all of them. But take a flashlight with you just in case. They don't like the light." Haven's heart was pounding as he was suddenly very concerned for Cherish's well being. "I'm gonna stay on the phone with you okay? If anything happens, I'm going to stop this bus and get the fuck over there as fast as I fucking can. But for now, you need to turn on those lights."

Cherish flipped the switch on in her room and the things squealed as they flew away from her window. Her eyes widened in surprise. They weren't in her imagination. They were real.

"You keep that fucking bus moving Haven. No matter what." She ordered as she exited her room and started flipping light switches. "Lily's on that bus and I want her kept safe. I promised her parents. Got it?" That last light turned on. She glanced outside. "What the fuck is that?" She gasped, staring at the winged figure.

"I don't know." Haven answered, following his own advice and turning on all the lights. He looked out the window at Cherish's bus and saw a whole mess of those black creatures on top of the bus. He cursed into the receiver just as a larger black figure attacked the others. The creatures scattered as Deimeon flew along the side of Cherish's bus grabbing two creatures and throwing them under the bus tires. "Yeah! You go D!" He yelled, forgetting her was on the phone.

Deimeon dodged as a creature dived at him and then ascended into the air. Haven watched as Deimeon battled a swarm of black bat winged monsters in midair. It wasn't long before Deimeon was completely over run by the shadows. Haven cursed again.

"Come on D."

"Oh my god, that is Deimeon." Cherish said in morbid fascination. "What the fuck is going on here?" Cherish bit out through clenched teeth.

"I'll explain later." Haven answered walking past Wes and Kitty again to go back into his room. "Just stay calm and know that he is on our side."

He dug through his large bag full of weapons and ammo. He finally found what he was looking for. The flare gun. He shrugged into his coat and pulled his pants on. He turned and headed back out of his room.

He moved to the utility closet and opened the door. He grabbed the stool and kicked the door shut. He set it under one of the sky lights and climbed on to it. He pushed the window open. A creature hissed at him as he climbed onto the roof of the bus. He flicked his lit cigarette butt at the shadow as it screeched and recoiled.

"Cherish, I'm gonna have to call you back." He told the bitching woman on the other end and threw his phone back into the bus. He focused his attention on the large blob of darkness in the sky and took aim. "Hang on D."

"That stupid mother-" Cherish froze as she watched Haven pop out through the roof of the other bus. "What are you doing, you crazy fuck." Her hear sped at the sight of him. _Please be careful. _She thought to herself. "You stupid, crazy, and kind of sexy man." She answered with a small smile.

The creatures all recoiled as the flare lit the sky. Deimeon broke free of the black prison and flew away from the swarm. Haven could tell his best friend was flying clumsily through the air like he was drunk. He had to be hurt really bad.

The creatures scattered aimlessly in the bright light, trying to escape it. When it faded they seemed to slowly collect themselves and they gathered into a group once more. They made a dive to the ground and went straight for Haven.

"Shit!" Haven cursed as he tried to scramble back into the bus.

The creatures reached him before he could retreat. Haven was struck hard by a shadowy claw and knocked toward the edge of the bus. He knew there had to be a large wound at his side, because it throbbed in pain.

Kitty appeared in the hole with a huge flashlight in her hand. She shined the beam of light on Haven as Wes kept her lit with light. She watched the swarm scattered and she had to swallow hard. There was a lot of those creatures.

"Haven! Haven are you okay?" Kitty hollered over the wind.

"Holy shit woman, you got some fucking awesome timing." Haven called to her, holding his side as he pulled himself back onto the roof of the bus.

Haven jumped as a large figure landed with a wet thud on top of the bus. He felt splatters of blood hit his face as he looked up at Deimeon. The lead singer was torn to shreds. He had that look of pure malice in his eyes. They glowed a pale green in the night as he spread his wings and let out a fearsome roar at his adversaries.

"Oh shit! Get me in. Now!" Haven yelled frantically.

"Wes!" Kitty hollered down to her band mate. "Back window. Get Haven in. Something's wrong with Deimeon." Wes ran to the window and opened it, reaching for Haven.

"You old geezer, you better get over here!" Snapped Wes.

Haven slid his body across the bus as fast as he could. He looked over in time to see Deimeon rip apart a creature into two pieces like it was bread. The creature faded into the darkness.

Suddenly the swarm of shadows retreated all at once in a black flurry. Deimeon was raised on his toes. His nails were extended to claws and a large claw stuck out of his heel. He roared in triumph as the sun peeked out over the horizon. He was covered in deep wounds. His skin coated in several shades of crimson.

He turned a hungry eye on Haven, growling deep in his throat. He licked his lips, the predator approached Haven with bloody footsteps. Haven's heart jumped in his throat as he realized Deimeon was starving. He was so injured so his conscious mind had been over taken by the flesh eating beast.

"D, it's me!" Haven shouted frantically. He drug himself further toward Wes. "D! Stop! D! It's me Haven! D! Stop it right now!" Haven reached for his gun as Deimeon dove toward his newest victim.

"Deimeon!" Kitty screamed at the top of her lungs. She dropped the flashlight in the bus and pulled her body up so she was sitting on the roof. "Deimeon over here." She was almost frantic to get his attention.

Deimeon whipped his head around and focused on the her. He snarled as he turned toward her. His attention now on her and ready to take her down. She swallowed hard as his gaze pierced into her. She was starting to regret her decision to get his attention, but she had to protect Haven.

"Ah, shit woman!" Haven yelled. "Get back in the fucking bus. He's on a rampage! We all look like a four course meal to him right now!"

"Wes! Get Haven in now!" She shouted as she watched Deimeon come at her. She then lowered her voice into a soft purr. "Deimeon, it's me. Kitty." She felt a shiver go through her body when he didn't slow. "You did a really good job in protecting us, especially me." She prayed that he really did love her like he had said or she was going to die tonight. "Deimeon, you can relax now. They're all gone and it's just us now." Her voice stayed soothing.

Deimeon stopped just short of Kitty and hesitated. He growled deep in his throat and took a step back. The claws in his heels receded and he fell to his knees. He was struggling with the beast for consciousness. He didn't want to hurt anyone, especially not Kitty. It gave him the will power to gain control.

"K...Kitty..." His voice cracked as the beast slowly receded and Deimeon came back to reality. He gasped for breath as he suddenly became painfully aware of all his vicious wounds.

She scurried forward and latched onto him. She held him to her, fighting down her tears of relief. She glanced at the skylight. She needed to get them both in the bus and Deimeon some medical attention.

"Can you move? We need to get you inside." Kitty explained softly.

"Y...Yeah." He responded distantly. He followed Kitty back into the bus, collapsing on the floor as soon as his feet touched it. "Shit," He groaned. "Fucking Nemendus." He muttered.

He stood up fully and looked at the others. He spotted Wes standing over Haven, who had a large gaping wound in his side. He looked pale. Deimeon cringed inside, feeling guilty. He hated when his band got hurt because of him.

"Haven?" Deimeon started. "Shit, I didn't do that to you, did I?"

"No, you idiot!" Haven retorted. "I wouldn't be like this if you weren't such a stupid fucker. What the hell were you thinking going after those monsters by yourself!"

"I...I was... Just..."

"Yeah, you were just what, hero?" Haven groaned as he forced himself to his feet. "Don't ever do that again. Got it? Now get your girlfriend to help you to the shower. And speaking of your girlfriend, when were you planning on telling me you told her?"

"Haven relax. He told me like four hours ago. We haven't had time to tell you. It was stressful night." Kitty defended Deimeon, trying to soothe over Haven's anger.

"Yeah, okay." Haven waved his hand. "Forget it, now's not the time. Just get him to the shower, so he can clean up. I gotta stitch this fucking thing."

"Can I watch?' Wes asked smiling.

"No."

Haven's phone exploded to life on the floor. The ringing screaming through out the bus. Kitty cringed and wrapped Deimeon's arm around her shoulders to lead him to the bathroom. It was obvious that he was in no shape to get himself there.

"Come on big boy. Let's get you cleaned up." Kitty whispered softly. "That's probably Cherish and I'm sure it's not going to be pretty."

"Good call." Deimeon answered. "Thanks Kitty. Although you really shouldn't have done that. I could have really got hurt and then I never would have forgiven myself."

"You would never hurt me, human or beast form." Kitty stated, looking directly into his endless emerald eyes.

"I don't know about that." He laughed nervously. "So... your not... scared of me? Knowing what I am. What I eat?" The mention of food made his stomach ache.

"No... Yes... God, I don't know what I feel. All I know is you're Deimeon to me no matter what. Get in the shower. I'll thaw some steaks out for you." She gave him a gentle push toward the bathroom. "I'll be in there to help you after I'm done."

"I'll be fine." He assured her. "I can take it from here. Thanks babe."

Haven tried his best to ignore the phone, but Cherish wasn't about to give up and he knew it. Giving up wasn't in her nature. He watched Kitty leave Deimeon in the bathroom and reluctantly picked up the phone.

"Haven? Haven is that you, you S.O.B?" Cherish growled.

"Uh... no. Actually, this is your future self telling you that you get a sex change and it doesn't work out that great. Yes, it's me, what do you want?"

"Don't get that tone with me." Cherish hissed. "I just watched you try to be a hero and then get swarmed by those monsters. I was freaking out here. I'm still fucking freaking out." She hollered. "Pull the bus over now. I want to make sure you're okay." She ordered. "And before you say no... I have my can license and can take care of anyone who is hurt."

"Uh..." Haven looked at the deep wound on his side. "Everyone's fine Cherish. Besides, we can't afford to stop. Time is money."

"God damn it Haven!" Cherish screamed. "It's only so I can get on the damn bus! You owe me an explanation anyway, you bastard!"

"Fine!" Haven hollered into the phone and hung up on the bitch. "John! Pull over so Cherish can get her happy ass on. She's being a neurotic woman and won't take no for an answer."

As John pulled the bus to the side of the road, Haven limped to his room, leaving Wes in the lounging area by himself. Wes hissed in pain as the scratch marks from the creature burned suddenly. Pain usually felt good to him, but this burning from the black wounds made him uncomfortable.

Wes focused his attention else where, trying to ignore the sensation. He watched Kitty in the kitchen briefly. She had been really together through the whole crisis and he had to hand it to her. Most girls would freak out. Lyndon would have. Wes got up and moved to his room, disappearing.

Cherish grabbed her medical bag from the top compartment and then got off the bus. She stormed over to the other bus and got on when the doors opened for her. Kitty greeted her with a smile.

"Haven's going to need stitches and Wes just needs some minor bandaging." Kitty stated.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay." Cherish moved to Haven's door and knock lightly as the bus started moving once more.

Haven refused to respond. He didn't want Cherish to see him all beat to shit. Besides, he'd stitched up some of his own wounds before. None this big, but how hard could it be. He felt dizzy. He realized he couldn't really concentrate enough to stitch a straight line.

"Aw, hell." He took the shirt he removed and pressed it against the wound. He's fix it when he got up. Wait... did he lock the door? He wasn't quit sure, but he wasn't going to get up and check. He was in way too much pain for that.

Cherish counted to five. He didn't answer making her patience snap. She threw the door open and glared at Haven. She slowly took in his condition. Her hard ice blue eyes softened slightly. He was really injured. She couldn't be mad at someone who was in such a condition.

"You really did get hurt." She whispered.

Haven opened one eye, looking up at her. "Yeah, I did. So what?" His words were slurred like he was piss ass drunk. "Wasn't gonna let D get eaten by those... things."

Cherish walked forward and set her bag on the bed. She tugged his shirt away from him. She sucked in a harsh breath as she took in the damage. She couldn't believe Haven wasn't going to do anything about this. A wound like his, he could die from massive blood loss.

"Jesus Haven. Let me help you please?"

"Don't have a choice anyway, do I?" He laughed lightly, then paused. "Are... Are all the kids on your end okay?"

"Yeah, they are all safe." Cherish reassured him as she pulled out a clear bottle and a needle.

She stuck the needle into the top of it and tipped the bottle upside down. She carefully filled the syringe a quarter of the way. She righted the bottle and pulled the needle out. Haven watched her with wide eyes.

"Aw fuck that!" Haven said weakly. "I hate needles."

He tried to sit up in the bed, but it proved useless. Dizziness hit him full force and he collapsed back down in the bed, moaning loudly. Fresh blood seeped from the wound and Cherish gave him a look as she threw his shirt back on the injury to apply pressure.

"Stop fucking moving!" She snapped. "You're making more more work for me. You'll like the stuff in this needle. Anyway, I have to use a needle to stitch your pansy ass. It doesn't happen magically."

"Pansy! I ain't no fucking pansy! I was just about to stitch myself up before you came in."

Cherish chuckled and slipped the needle into his vein while he was distracted yelling at her. She quickly emptied the contents into his system. She glanced up at Haven's face, watching for his reaction.

"See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" She asked in a voice that she used for her younger sister when she was five years old.

"Ya fucking stuck me without consent!" Haven retorted angrily. "I outta strip you of your license and sue you... for... all..." Euphoric numbness went through his whole body as the morphine kicked in. He suddenly felt like he was on cloud nine. The floating feeling going straight to his head. "Ah... shit." He completely relaxed, wearing a small smile on his lips.

"That's better." Cherish answered with a soft smile of her own.

She pulled out her other tools after taking the shirt away from the wound. The bleeding had slowed under the pressure she had applied. Gently, she started to sanitize the wound and her needle. She carefully threaded it and focused on closing the nasty wound on his side.

"How you doing?" She inquired, filling the awkward silence.

She glanced up at Haven's chest and was slightly surprised at the fact that he had a nice body. He wasn't overly muscular, but he was lean and tone. Just how she liked her men. She mentally slapped herself and refocused on the task at hand. She tried not to picture what he would look like completely naked.

"Oh god. I feel awesome." He answered, drawing her out of her unwanted thoughts. "Ya know, I don't say this to many girls, but you are really really cute, ya know that? No. Wait, you're fucking gorgeous."

Cherish paused in her stitching and glanced up at Haven. Her heart rate faltered then sped up at the compliment. Not many guys had the balls to approach her because she was so outspoken. She shrugged it off with a snort.

"Haven, you're high." She retorted, continuing with what she was doing.

"No, no. I mean it." Haven defended. "I can't possibly compare to you Cherish, but god do I want too. I wanted to impress you, but I'm just an old street rat with nothin' to give but a broken heart."

Cherish could swear that her cheeks were heating up at his words. She was starting to debate if giving him morphine was such a good idea. She considered carefully how she wanted to answer his compliment.

"Haven, I'm sure you have a lot to offer. Hell, you're attractive yourself I've even considered you in my bed." She mumbled, going for honesty.

_I hope he doesn't remember this when he sobers. _Cherish thought. _Almost done._

"Really? Yeah, me too. Pictured you in my bed I mean. Wow, this feels good." He slurred dreamily. "I like you being near me."

_God, save me from doped up, idiots. _Cherish comment to herself, but her body responded to the words.

She wanted to kiss him. She glanced at his face. After she cleaned off the blood. She finished and cleaned the wound once again. She then grabbed the gauze, slowly and carefully she begun to bandage his side.

"There. All better. I have some pain killers here for you. I'll leave them on the table." She placed the small bottle on the beside table. "Would you like me to clean the blood off your face?"

"There's a bug on my face?"

"No Haven..." Cherish sighed. "Blood. Would you like me to clean it off for you?"

"Oh... uh sure... whatever. It's not mine any way. The blood belongs to D."

Cherish reached for an alcohol pad and softly cleaned his face off. She tried not to focus on his lips. She knew that would not be a smart idea. She really didn't to want to get caught up with a man like him. Right? She didn't even know her own feelings anymore.

"I have to check on Wes when I'm done here." She cursed at her unsteady voice, but being close to him was really doing a number on her nervous system.

" 'Kay." He mumbled. "I'm gonna... take a little nap if you don't mind?"

"Go for it... Haven." She whispered before she gathered her stuff and left.

She almost ran smack into Kitty as the young girl walked down the hall. She moved back against Haven's door as she apologized to the keyboardist. Kitty just smiled good naturedly.

"How is he?"

"Fine and resting." Cherish reassured her.

"Good."

Kitty made her way to the bathroom and pushed the door open. She slipped inside, shutting herself in with Deimeon. The room was filled with steam and it felt like a sauna. She leaned back against the wall and tried to keep her attention on the floor.

"How you doing Deimeon? You've been in there for a while." Kitty inquired.

"I was just about to get out." He turned the water off. "How is Haven?"

"Cherish stitched him up and he's resting now. Your steaks are ready in the microwave." Kitty informed him.

Deimeon reached out and grabbed his towel off the rack. He dried himself off before putting on his black silk robe. He opened the door all the way and stepped out. He went over to the mirror and then remembered it wasn't there anymore. He looked at his wounds. They were already closed up, but still very visible. By mid afternoon tomorrow they would be gone.

"Almost good as new. Thank you Kitty. It really means a lot to me. Everything you've done. You really are amazing."

"We're family and that's what family does. Looks out for one another, right?" She replied with a slight blush.

He walked over to her and smiled. He softly cupped her face with his hands, leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. Her scent invaded his senses and he knew he would never tire of being this close to her.

"Yeah, that's true. Thanks for being there for me."

Kitty couldn't stop the small moan from escaping, but Deimeon's kiss felt so good, so comforting. She really needed this, needed him. Especially after the night they had all just experienced.

"Go eat. I'm going to try to get a couple hours of sleep." She opened the door and stepped out into the hall.

Deimeon followed her, but stopped when he caught sight of Cherish. She was attempting to gain access to Wes' room. Deimeon leaned back against the hall wall, nonchalantly.

"Don't be surprised if he doesn't let you in without a fight." He told her. "Somehow I think you can handle it, but in case he lashes out, give me a call. I'll be in the kitchen." Cherish sighed heavily.

"How hurt was he Kitty?"

"I didn't see any marks. I just thought it would be safe to look him over." She went to her room and quietly closed the door.

Cherish followed Deimeon to the kitchen. She sat down at the table, watching him closely. He looked completely human now except for the ears. She knew she wasn't crazy. She knew what she saw. It had been branded into her mind.

He paid little attention to Cherish as he pulled the two raw steaks from the microwave. He then turned and looked at the short woman. His emerald eyes locked with her ice blue ones. He glanced awkwardly at his meal.

"Uh, I thought you were checking on Wes." He put the steaks aside as his stomach roared in protest.

"Don't let me stop you from eating. I've already seen your true form so I'm sure you eating a few raw steaks won't freak me out anymore then I already am." She stated firmly.

Deimeon shifted awkwardly as he looked from Cherish back to his steaks. He got a fork and knife out of the drawer. He carefully started cutting them up and eating the small bites, even though all he wanted to do was shove them in his face.

"So, I take it you have something to ask?" He said between bites.

"Yeah. I want to know what the fuck I just dragged my band into? I want to know if it's worth all this chaos?" She was so matter of fact about it. No bullshitting.

"I don't know. Look, those things... are creatures from another world. By the natural order of things, they aren't supposed to be here. But, there's been a portal or something that opened and now the darkness is running loose, here, on earth. I'll do my best to protect everyone, but the safest thing you can do is keep lights on at night and buy UV lights. They are the strongest defense you can have against them."

"Okay. I can handle that, but what I was more referring too was you. I want reassurance on you. I saw you almost take Haven's head off." Deimeon cringed.

"Yeah, I lose control if I get critically injured. My consciousness fades and I..." He hesitated as he looked at his steaks in sudden disgust. "I... I'm a monster."

"I don't believe that." Cherish answered, calmly. "But I do believe that you're different. I just want to know what I can use on you to bring you down if you do attack my group."

"The best thing, I would say, is a Magnum model of any type. Unload a few shots from those and my body will shut down in order to heal. But when I wake, I'm gonna need food. Raw steak. It replenishes my strength and sates the beast for a time." He smiled sadly. "Yeah, Magnum is your best bet. Don't think you'll have access to any missiles or tanks. Course those may be too slow. I wouldn't know. Never dealt with them. Thankfully. But, yeah, Magnum. Fast, powerful, bone shattering and hand held for your convenience."

Cherish watched him carefully, just studying him. She could tell that Deimeon wasn't proud of what he was. She felt bad for him. He was suffering from something he could do nothing about. This was what he was. That wasn't going to change.

"Haven had some blood on him. Do you need me to patch you up?" She asked casually.

"No." He put his now empty plate in the sink. "I'm alright. I heal quickly. The bus might need a bath though. Good thing it's black."

"Okay. Well I'll take your word for it. Mind if I take the couch in the back to crash on?" She inquired.

"You can have my bed." He offered. "I promised Kitty I'd stay with her."

Cherish headed toward his room. She stopped just outside his door and turned to face him. He was looking down at the floor and she could just imagine all the belittling things he was probably feeding his self esteem.

"Thank you for protecting us Deimeon." She told him with a sincere smile, then disappeared into his room.

Deimeon smiled to himself. He pushed himself off the counter and headed for Kitty's room. She was sound asleep in her bed, breathing softly. He sat on the side opposite of hers. He reached out and gently ran his fingers through her thick brown hair.

He leaned down and planted a kiss on her head. He crawled under the covers and snuggled closely against her body. He breathed deeply, inhaling her vanilla scent that he loved so much. He draped his arm across her small waist and sighed in bliss. He had wanted to do this with her since the day he met her.

"I love you." He whispered without even thinking.


	7. Chapter 7

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 7

Lily slowly came out of her deep sleep. The first thing she noticed was her backside felt comfortably warm. She slowly opened her eyes. The clock on the dresser read elven am. She frowned. It really wasn't like her to sleep in this late.

Suddenly the night came rushing back to her. She had spent the night with Nolan Perez. She stiffened. Nolan was the one who was pressed against her, but that was all. He didn't touch her or hold her. He just laid next to her motionless.

She carefully rolled over so she was facing him. He was still sound asleep, both hands under his cheek that laid on the pillow. His black hair still covering his rounded face. He had taken off the bandage that had covered his eye, but that was really all she could make out in the dim light.

She softly moved his hair behind his ear and her breath caught in her throat. Holy cow, he was stunning. He had the perfect features. Long eyelashes that fanned along his cheeks. A long stern nose that was rounded at the tip. A full bottom lip that begged her to suck on it. The top one slightly smaller and a round stern jaw. It was obvious that he was Asian.

She blushed as an image of kissing those lips entered her mind. She wanted to with every aching need inside her, but refrained from doing so. She bit lightly at her own lip. She still couldn't believe that she was laying next to one of the members of the Black Doves. This was a dream come true.

Nolan came awake from a deep sleep when he felt a soft and gentle touch flutter across his flesh. He opened his eyes and saw the adorable round face of Lily, with a bit of a blush across her pale cheeks. Without her glasses on he could clearly see those beautiful brown eyes. They were dotted with golden speckles that Nolan thought reflected her personality. Gold was perfect and so was she. At least in his eyes she was.

Nolan suddenly realized she could see his face. He almost saw her soul, but quickly looked away before it started. He had this strange ability that if he looked into people's eyes long enough he could see into their soul. The only way he can begin to explain would be all the years of silence he had endured. So instead of understanding the people around him with words, he learned to read their eyes, body language, and the tone of their voices.

"Uh, good morning... Lily."

Lily frowned at the flicker of fear that flashed in his stunning gray blue eyes before he looked away. Disappointment filled her chest. She wanted to be able to look at him and to see those beautiful eyes that he hid from everyone else.

"Good morning, Nolan. Did you sleep good?"She asked softly as she reached clumsily for her glasses.

_No. Not with your adorable little body tempting me to do bad things to you._ He thought.

"Yeah, I slept fine."He whispered. "You?"

"Better then I have in quite sometime." She answered honestly.

She found her glasses and slipped them on her nose. She looked back at Nolan to find his face hiding behind his hair once more. She didn't like this. Him not looking at her made her feel insecure about herself. Did he not like to look at her? She knew that wasn't the case, but she couldn't help the feeling.

"Why do you hide behind your bangs?"

"I...I... uh..."Nolan hesitated before finishing. "don't like anyone to look at me... I guess."

"I think you are very attractive and I like looking at you."She whispered, shyly. "So will you look at me... please?"

"I...I can't... you won't like it. No one ever does." He began to feel really anxious again.

"Nolan... If we are going... um... to date... I don't want you to hide from me."She retaliated with uncertainty.

Nolan shook. His nerves working against him. Well either he showed her and she dumped him or he didn't show her and she still dumped him. It was a lose lose situation. His mouth suddenly felt extremely dry. He sat up and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He couldn't believe he was going to do this.

"Okay. But I... I apologize in advance and hope that... you know... we can still be friends... at least I hope."

Lily sat up with him and slipped her small hand in his bigger one. She hadn't meant to cause him a panic attack. That was the last thing she wanted, but she hadn't wanted him to run from her either. If this was going to work with them, he needed to be honest with each other.

"Relax Nolan. I'm not going anywhere."She reassured him, trying to soothe him.

"I... I hope not." He squeezed her hand gently.

Breathing deep again. He moved his hair aside and reluctantly met with her brown and gold eyes. As soon as the locked gazes, he saw her life flash before him. He saw a young girl stepping up to defend her. He saw a couple, they were older, and they held Lily and the other girl close.

The vision flashed to when Lily graduated high school. She shook hands with the principal and then ran up to a near by friend and hugged them. Nolan recognize the female to be a young Flare. Nolan saw Drake too and felt the love she had toward him back then.

The vision moved forward to when the first established the band. The joy she felt, Nolan could feel it too. It was a very strong emotion that vibrated through his whole being. Her soul was glorious white color. Nolan couldn't see it physically, but he knew it was there. It danced and twirled, radiating love and care. Nolan couldn't help but smile as the warmth and comfort of the most inner part of Lily Matsuri.

Lily gasped as she fell into Nolan's gray blue eyes. He invaded her deep within her soul and she had never felt anything so intimate as this, almost like he had molded into her and became a part of her very being. Her body trembled, her eyes locked in place. Even if she told herself to look away she couldn't. She knew she should have been terrified that her most inner part was being revealed, laid bare, but instead she felt closer to him. More so then if they would have had sex.

"Wow." She whispered, her voice shaking from the intensity.

A smile appeared on Nolan's face, melting her heart, then he was gone. She suddenly felt alone and so empty. She wanted him back. The absent of his presence was unsettling. Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed him. She wanted to feel him as close as she could.

This time Nolan didn't freeze up or pull away. He saw deep into Lily's soul. He saw her for what she really was. She was a pure soul with so much love to give. In that moment of comfort and warmth, he wanted to be able to bask in the glow of her inner and outer beauty.

He kissed her back gently, savoring the taste of her. He licked softly at her slightly trembling bottom lip and she slowly opened to him. Their tongues flicked against one another an instant before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close so he could savor every part of her mouth.

Lily fell into Nolan's chest giving herself over to him. A soft moan erupted from her as pleasure speared through her body. He felt so good and tasted even better. He made her feel like a woman. She tentatively met his tongue with her, unsure of what she was doing, She wanted him to feel as good as she did, so she tried her hardest to follow his lead. Her arms slowly wrapping around his shoulders. Her tiny hands sinking into his soft black hair.

Oh god, she was on fire and she felt wetness pooling between her legs. She squirmed at the uncomfortable feeling. This caused her hip to press against something hard in Nolan's lap. She realized it was his cock, hard and achy. Her body burst into a tiny shards of pleasure at the realization.

Wow! He's huge.

She thought that should scare her but it didn't, Instead her nipples tightened into tight little pebbles and she grew creamier between her thighs. She was so embarrassed by her body's reaction. She wanted to pull away and run, but she couldn't because she felt delicious. She couldn't leave this behind. She would most likely regret it.

Nolan felt himself growing harder by the second. He had to shift his hips to try to alleviate some of the tension. He knew that Lily was a virgin and knew she probably wanted to take it slow. There was no way Nolan was going to take advantage of her. No matter how badly he wanted to have sex with her. Reluctantly, he separated from her lips. He had to catch his breath because of their heated passion. He leaned his forehead into hers, his arms still wrapped around her.

"God Lily, you're beautiful."He gasped out. "I want to take you so bad, but I want to know if your comfortable with that or not?"

It took a moment for the fog of lust to subside in Lily's brain. She knew Nolan had spoken to her, but had a hard time registering what he had asked. "I'm sorry."She panted out, straightening her glasses. She blushed in embarrassment. "I... um... didn't quite get that"

He wasn't sure if he could ask again. It was hard enough the first time to force the words out. She was so cute the way she dragged herself from bliss just to ask him what he had said. Nolan smiled slightly. He was falling for her. He couldn't help it. She was the perfect girl for him.

"I wanted to... make love to you, but it's kind of early in our relationship. I wanted to know how you feel before I ravaged you."

"Oh."Lily squeaked burying her red face in his broad chest. "I don't know."God, she was so embarrassed.

Nolan nibbled at her at her neck. "It's okay Lily. I don't mind making out with you. Just know... I might have to use the bathroom again soon. I just can't contain myself." Nolan rubbed himself gently while he moaned in the soft skin of her neck.

Lily's body exploded into heat at the sound of his husky moan and the sight of him touching his erection through his pajama pants. She was practically drooling at the sight of him. He was so delicious and she wanted a piece of him so badly. She swallowed hard.

"Can... Can I... touch it?"Lily asked, She had no clue where the courage came from.

"Yeah," Nolan sighed in anticipation. "You can touch it all you want."

Lily's hand was trembling as she reached down in his lap. She had barely touched him when his cock jerked hard against her hand. His erection was radiating her. She swallowed and lightly fist him. He felt so hard and pulsated against her flesh.

"Oh my." She whispered, breathlessly.

Nolan's body shook with pleasure as her hand stroked the shaft of his cock. His body warmed in the most delicious way, a tingling sensation going up his spine. He moved his hips with her strokes. He let out a pleasurable moan that filled the room.

"God Lily, that feels... so... good."

He picked up his speed, feeling the pressure rise in his chest. He begun to leak from the head of his dick as he watched Lily's face. She was so innocent, watching his movements with fascination.

"Take your pants off please." She panted out. "I want to see it."

Nolan quickly complied with her request. He rose from the bed and quickly pulled his pants off. The pajamas fell to the floor, forgotten. He could feel Lily's gaze on him. She stared at his dick, which was fully erect, in awe.

"I'm so fucking hard for you." He whispered between breaths. "It hurts."

"Well, come here and I'll see what I can do to ease you." Lily said softly, trying to be seductive.

She tugged lightly on his hand to pull him in front of her so he was standing between her legs. She stared at his cock that was now in front of her face. She didn't know exactly what to do, but she was a fast learner.

Nolan shook with excitement as he neared her. He embraced her in a kiss once more and reached under her shirt. He cupped her small breast in his hand. He pinched her hard nipples as his tongue danced around hers. He felt his saliva drip down his chin but he was too caught up in her to care.

_Oh god, I'm drooling for this girl. _He thought in pleasant surprise.

Lily moaned. Her breasts fit perfectly in his big strong hands. She let her mouth open even further for his prodding tongue, meeting it tentatively with her own. He pinched her nipples softly and ripples of excitement throbbed through her, centering between her legs. She had never felt anything so deliciously naughty.

She nibbled his bottom lip, taking his leaking cock into her hands once more. She smiled at the way it pulsated against her flesh. More precum rolled off the tip on to her skin. She shivered.

"I want to taste you." She plead against his mouth.

"Then taste me Lily." He responded. "Take what you want from me until your curiosity is sated. I am yours. Every part of me is yours."

Lily trembled at his words that washed over her. Nolan was opening up to her and she liked that. This meant there was a bond forming. She nibbled lightly on his chin as a thrill went through her.

_God, I think I'm in love. _She thought as she licked lightly at his tan nipple.

He jerked in pleasure against her. She decided she liked that response a lot. She sucked the nub into her mouth softly, worrying it between her teeth.

Her thumb glided across the wet tip of his cock, spreading the droplets of cum along the hard smooth flesh. Her other hand curiously cupping his balls, rolling them together slowly.

"Nolan, your body is amazing." She whispered.

His muscles were well defined and he had a flat stomach with a six pack. His waist was curved and he had a small patch of hair leading from his belly to his cock. The muscles in his legs were hard and straining against her. He was absolutely perfect to her.

He jerked in her hand as his body shook with pleasurable spasms. He had never felt like this with anyone and he had been with a few girls. Not as many as Deimeon or even Haven, but he had needs that had needed attention. This was nothing like any of those times.

"Lily, please." He begged. "I can't handle it anymore. I want to come for you." He thrust his cock against her soft feminine hands in emphasis. "I'm at your mercy."

"Why do I like the sound of that so much?" She moaned out.

She dipped her head down and licked lightly at the head of his cock. She savored the taste of his cum on her tongue. It was salty, but also something sweet about the flavor. She could get addicted to it fast.

"I really like your taste, Nolan." She purred, then took his whole length into her mouth.

Nolan threw his head back and cried out in pleasure. The tingling in his spine grew more intense. He felt his body warming and trembling slightly as he tried to resist his body's urges. This was for Lily's curiosity not his own selfish needs. All he wanted to do was move his hips against her face and fuck the living hell out of her hot little mouth.

Lily moaned deep in her throat. The sound vibrating against his sensitive skin. She was enjoying this more then she had ever imagined she would. She always heard the girls at school talking about blow jobs, but found the act strangely disgusting. She couldn't get enough of this.

She slowly moved her mouth along his length, sucking softly. His cry of pleasure swept through her and she found that she wanted to hear more of that from him. She wanted to make him say her name in that deep husky voice.

Her hand that was softly cupping his sack, moved more confidently against the soft flesh. She vaguely noticed them tightening gradually in the palm of her hand. Her other hand moved to cup his firm ass urging him to move his hips to the bobbing of her head.

Her tongue flicked back and forth along the mushroom tip. The movement felt absolutely divine. She lightly scraped her teeth along the sensitive flesh on the underside of his twitching erection. He jerked hard against her as a groan rose from him. Damn she had him panting.

She let her eyes settle on his face. She watched the pleasure cross over his features. His eyes were shut tightly. His head tilted down toward his chest. His lips were slightly parted. Short bursts of air exiting his body from the intensity of his passion. Pride swelled in her chest. She was the one making him feel like this.

Nolan responded to her body language and was grateful he didn't have to resist the urge to move his hips against her mouth any longer. His pleasure was building. His moans and gasps of desperation grew louder. He moved faster as she matched his pace with surprising perfection.

"Oh my god." He shuddered. "Lily... I'm gonna... oh shit... LILY!"

As soon as her name left his lips, his body exploded in waves of pleasure. He released into her mouth. He convulsed hard. The pleasure making him weak in the knees. He clenched a handful of her hair, struggling to stay on his own two feet.

His face was beaded with sweat. He struggled to breath as the last of him seed dripped out of his cock and overflowed out of her tiny mouth. He looked down at her and saw the pure bliss on her face. She looked up at him with hooded brown eyes.

Oh god she swallowed all of it. Well, save for the drop that escaped her mouth and dribbled down her chin. He was tempted to dip down and lick his own cum from her flesh. For some reason, the thought almost made him hard all over again.

Lily's eyes widened as Nolan's cock jerked and then cum flowed into her mouth. She greedily swallowed it down, keeping her lips tightly locked around his dick until he emptied the last of his seed on her tongue.

He tasted so good. She wanted more of it, more of him. She pulled back slowly, licking at the tip as she did so. She felt content and relaxed except for the ache between her legs. She looked up at Nolan and her heart raced when he met her eyes, no hiding behind his bangs.

"Nolan, have you seen..." Cherish froze in the now open doorway as she took in the scene before her.

Nolan was completely naked, standing in front of Lily. Cherish vaguely noticed that he had one of the tightest asses she had ever seen. The horror filled her gaze when her eyes landed on Lily. The girl's lips were slightly parted and a white substance fell from them, down to her small chin. Cherish's face turned as red as Lily's before the girl hide behind her hands.

"Oh. My. God. I'm so... so... sorry." Cherish stuttered before slamming the door closed as she retreated back into the hall.

Nolan moved backward and scooped up his pants. He blushed furiously as he covered himself up a little too late. He suddenly felt extremely exposed. No one had ever walked in on him before while he did... stuff.

He looked over at Lily, who was probably the same shade of red her was. He sighed and offered her a half smile. He used his shirt to gently wipe away the cum on her chin.

"Oh god. I can't believe that just happened." She responded with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Nolan laughed deep in his throat as he continued to smile down at her. "But it did." He shrugged. "Nothing we can do about it now. Come on, lets get dressed."

"Yeah. I should probably talk to her." Lily straightened her pajamas.

She watched Nolan dress. His muscles bunching in the most delicious way, making her hot all over again. She moaned. She was way too into this man. She had just had the most embarrassing thing happen to her and here she was thinking about doing it again.

He looked over at the girl who eyed him hungrily. Nolan felt bad that he didn't get to finish what he had started. The mood was kind of ruined now. Nolan moved to her side and wrapped her in a loving embrace.

"We'll continue this later." He vowed. "Then I'll show you all the things I can do with my mouth."

Lily shivered at the promise, wrapping her own arms around his lean waist. She smiled a private smile. She felt so complete being with him like this. She hadn't even thought of Drake since she got together with Nolan because all her thoughts were consumed with him.

"I look forward to it." She leaned up and kissed him lightly.

She stepped away from him and made her way out of the room. She saw Cherish in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. She went over to her, fully intending on apologizing to her manager.

"Stop right there." Cherish ordered, holding her hand up in the air. "I'm going to pretend that we didn't have that run in and so are you. We'll continue like everything is fine." Cherish turned away from Lily. "Would you guys like some coffee?"

"Yes please."


	8. Chapter 8

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 8

Haven ached as he slowly came out a drug induced sleep. He tried to roll to his side. His wound screamed in complaint. He groaned and stared up at the ceiling. He needed to go to the bathroom, but he wasn't exactly sure he could get his happy ass out of bed.

He glanced at the bedside table. He saw a bottle of pills. That's right. He vaguely remembered Cherish saying something about leaving pain killers for him. He grabbed the pills and the water bottle that sat next to it. How it got there, he wasn't sure. He rarely ever drank water.

He decided it wasn't important. He uncapped the pills and took two, then opened the water. He chugged half of it. It was the best thing in the world at that moment. He was so parched from the morphine. He placed everything back on the table and laid back in bed.

It took a little over a half and hour for the medicine to kick in. When it finally did he was finally able to make it out of bed. He still hurt, but now it was a lot more tolerable. At the moment he really envied Deimeon. The bastard was probably fully healed and feeling great this morning.

Haven stumbled out of his room. He felt like shit and he knew he probably looked like shit. His side was still throbbing horribly even on the pain killers. He realized he had no shirt on, but he really didn't care at the moment. He made his way to the bathroom to take care of his business, then sluggishly made his way to the lounging area.

"Holy hell," He grumbled. "I feel like shit."

He vaguely remembered the night of the attack. The morphine must have kicked his ass harder then he thought. Right, morphine... Cherish had come over and stitched him up and... Did he dream of confessing his feelings for her? Did she do the same? He shook his head, shaking the thoughts out of his mind.

"I guess I owe you a thank you Cherish." He told her as he came up to her. "I, uh, probably would'a, ya know, bled a lot without you."

Cherish quickly turned away hoping Haven hadn't caught the blush that had suddenly heated her cheeks, from both the compliment and how scrumptious he looked without a shirt on. His pants hanging low on his lean hips, leaving little to the imagination.

"Yeah. No problem." She answered with an unsteady voice, mentally kicking herself in the ass. "Coffee?"

Safer subject. A lot safer and kept her busy so she wouldn't stare like a love struck teenager. Staring was bad, real bad. Especially since he was on her mind all damn morning. She had only gotten two hours of sleep because of it.

"Nah, but beer would be good."

"You don't have beer first thing in the morning Haven." Lyndon suddenly appeared with his hands on his hips.

"Oh great." Haven grumbled. "The Black Dove's anal wife is up. No pun intended."

"Excuse me." Lyndon snapped tipping his hips to the side. "I'm just looking out for everyone, including your ungrateful butt."

"Whatever." Haven didn't feel like arguing the way he was now.

Cherish raised an eyebrow at the two. Her phone blared on her belt. She snapped it off and pressed the answer button on her screen. She held it to her ear with her shoulder as she poured coffee.

"Cherish." There was a long pause, then she slammed the pot down. "Drake Sanders O' Riley, do you kiss your mother with that filthy mouth." Pause. "I'd like to see you try, cry baby." Pause. "I'm at the Black Doves bus." Pause. "Drake you need a diaper for all the shit that comes out of your mouth. We'll be at the venue in an hour then your ass in mine."

Cherish hung up and clipped her phone back on her belt. Lily's giggle made her smile as she added sugar to her coffee, then creamer. She took a sip and moaned. Just how she liked her coffee.

Haven chuckled to himself, then immediately regretted it. Pain shot through his side making him caught his breath. He noticed that Cherish and her brother were a lot like himself and Deimeon.

Her edgy attitude easily towered over her tiny stature. Haven thought it was adorable the way she commanded the rest of her band with an iron fist despite her appearance. Yet, she also had a caring and motherly tendency.

Lily relaxed against Nolan's side as everyone shattered to each other for the last hour they had on the bus. She would be more then thrilled when they finally made it to there destination. She was ready to get out and move around. When the vehicle finally came to a stop, she rose to her feet.

"Cherish, I need to go to town." Lily reminded her.

"I remembered. Our rental should already be here.

"Not that it's any business of mine, but what the hell are you guys doing?" Haven raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"We have to buy Lily a new laptop before the concert so she can get her programs up and running." Cherish answered, glancing at him.

"Ah, right."

A maniacal laughter filled the room. Lyndon flinched as Wes came into the room. Everyone turned to look at the psychotic man as he continued to smile a sadistic smile. Cherish's eyes narrowed already knowing the man had nothing nice to say.

"That was pretty funny. Your band has got to be pretty stupid to ruin their own equipment."

Lily bit her bottom lip as it started to tremble. She could feel the tears forming as the words reopened the wound. She turned and ran off the bus before she could make a fool of herself. Cherish sneered at Wes before she chased after the young girl.

Nolan glared glared daggers at Wes. He debated on punching him square in the nose, but the masochistic man would probably enjoy it. Instead, he flipped him off and ran after Lily. She was more important anyway.

Flare flipped her hair behind her as she took a seat behind her drum set. She was wearing her favorite black Capri pants, ankle high Doc Martins and a black sports bra. She stretched her arms over her head. She slipped on her bulky head phones and pressed play on her MP3 player.

Pulse of the Maggots started blaring in her ears. She grabbed her sticks and closed her eyes letting the flow of the music rush through her body. The drums started up and she was right there with them. Her body moving without her prompting. She let the words slip past her lips, banging her head to the beat of the bass drum.

She could feel the sweat bleeding through her pores. It made her play harder and growl even louder to herself. She knew every Slipknot song by heart, so when the music started for The Heretic Anthem, she was right there with it.

Wes was watching the television backstage at the venue, when he heard the quick violent thumping of a drum set. Wes thought it was Nolan, but then he realized Nolan was at the snack table. It must be Suicide Angels drummer. What was that bitch's name?

He just let the drums fade into the background noise as he turned up the volume on the television, but as she continued to play Wes recognized the beat didn't match any of Suicide Angels' songs that he knew of. In fact it sounded like the fast paced drumming that matched Slipknots music.

Wes would pick up on that drumbeat anywhere. Slipknot was one of his favorite bands. Struck by the sudden sense of curiosity, he turned off the television and went past the curtains. He watched the drummer play the instrument, growling a long to the music in her headphones.

He could hear the familiar tune even from there. He tilted his head in fascination as he watched the woman hit every beat with exact precision. He could easily pick out the exact song she was playing. He mouthed the words to himself as she continued pounding on the drums.

Flare was dripping with sweat by the end of the song. She placed her sticks aside, one hand picked up her water as the other paused her MP3 player. She tossed down her headphones and chugged half the bottle.

She rose to her feet, raising her head. Her amethyst eyes met and held almost black eyes. Wes Merritt. The bassist of the Black Doves. She offered him a warm smile as she came around the drum set.

"You like Slipknot?" She inquired casually.

"So what if I do?" She gave him a wink.

"You should tear it up with me sometime." She offered nonchalantly.

He was stunned at the offer. He couldn't find a response to give her. It was out of the ordinary that anyone would invite him to do anything. He scowled. There was obviously another motive behind her invitation.

"Why the hell would I want to do that?"

"I don't know. If you don't, you don't. Just know that the offer's there if you want to join." Flare replied with a shrug. "I need a shower. I'll see you around."

Wes frowned. He suddenly felt like he was being mocked. Yeah, that must have been her game. She was trying to make him feel little and insignificant. Manipulative bitch.

"It'd be good for you. I can smell your raunchy ass from here."

Flare purposely ignored him. She disappeared in her dressing room. She sank against the door, staring at herself in the mirror. Wes was a tough cookie to crack. She was going to have a different approach with him.

Wes sneered at the girl, who had disappeared down the hall. He wasn't sure if he would call that a victory or not. At least he felt better now that she wasn't looking at him. He wandered backstage and growled as he caught sight of Lyndon watching some TLC shit. What was it called? 'What not to wear?' How about 'Show intended for flaming homos and fat single women trying to make themselves look good.'?

"Get the hell off my chair!" Wes snapped. "I was watching T.V."

Lyndon turned to Wes with his 'whatever' face. "Um, no, actually you weren't Wes." He stated in a matter of fact tone. "It was off when I got here and sat down, so even if you were watching it, you're not now."

Wes gritted his teeth. He approached the miserable faggot and threw over a folding chair on his way over. He fully intended to slap that queer across the face. As the chair clattered to the ground, Lyndon rose to his feet to meet Wes. He put his hands on his hips. The commotion was no doubt was turning heads.

"You gonna hit me?" Lyndon coaxed. "Do it. I dare you." Wes' face turned red as he reached back to strike the smaller man.

"WES!" Deimeon barked from behind him. "Knock it off! Go watch T.V. In your room."

Wes glared at Deimeon then turned and kicked the closest things next to him. It happened to be the folding chair he had threw down. It hit the snack table and knocked the whole thing down.

Wes ignored the mess and continued making his way down the hall. As soon as he was out of sight of the others, he paced back and forth in front of his dressing room. He ran his hand through his brown hair as he tried to calm himself down. Grasping his head, he fell against the wall and growled as loud as he could through clenched teeth.

Flare just got the last of her clothes off when she heard a loud thud against the wall outside of her room. She frowned. She reached out for her red silk robe and slipped it on. She tied it closed before sticking her head out the door.

Wes was sitting on the floor, growling to himself while seeing how deep he could sink his fingers into his skull. She wondered what set him off. She knew all the stories and rumors about the bassists. She also knew he was highly volatile.

"Wes?" She called out, softly.

He looked up at the younger girl. He rose to his feet immediately, feeling small on the floor in front of her. He hated being lower then people and having to look up at them. It only reminded him of the boy cowering in the corner of a dark room looking up at strangers who towered over him.

_Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. It'll feel good. I promise._

Wes growled once more deep in his throat. His rage was building again. Maybe he could take it out on her without int interruption. He really needed an outlet and here she was setting herself up for it.

"You got something to say?" He snapped cracking his knuckles. "Choose your words carefully."

Flare studied him with a look devoid of all emotion. She could tell that no matter what she said, he would most likely attack her anyway. She decided to hit him with concern. Maybe he needed to know that someone cared.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, her eyes softening a little, but not enough to be pity, just concern.

"Fuck no." He laughed bitterly. "Are any of us really okay? For fucks sake, what kind of question is that?"

"I got a punching bag in my room if you wanna mess it up. I know what you're feeling and I want to hit shit too." Flare confessed.

"You think you know what I'm feeling?" Wes raged. He turned away and softened his voice. "You know nothing."

"You're probably right. Everyone handles their pain in different ways, but we all have pain, betrayal, anger, and hatred. Even me." Flare whispered.

"Thanks but I have enough fucking problems. I'm not your counselor and your not mine. I'm not about to tell you shit about myself." Wes unconsciously rubbed the scarred over uneven skin on his arm. "Just... leave me alone. I'm a fucking psycho, you know?"

Flare giggled. "Aren't we all a little psychotic?" She winked at him. "I don't have a PHD in Psychology, so I can't be your counselor, but I don't mind being your friend." She informed him.

Wes almost felt a physical blow from the comment. It struck him in a place in his chest he had long since forgotten. He flinched. He continued to stare in disbelief at her. Shaking his head, Wes growled in irritation.

"Fuck you. I don't need any friends. I've gotten through life just fine without them."

"I'm sure you have. But everyone needs a side kick sometimes to cause chaos with. I know it's always more fun when there's two to cause double the destruction." She leaned against her door frame, completely comfortable in her red silk robe.

He looked at her. He couldn't stop his eyes from wandering her body. She looked good. He had to admit it. She was extremely sexy with full breasts. Her body had the perfect hour glass figure. She could have easily been a top notch model with the body she had.

"I work solo." He stuck his bottom lip out and pouted like a little child.

"So you wouldn't take on a sidekick if it was a girl who had big knockers, tight ass and a could handle her own as well as any man?" She teased lightly.

"You seen anyone of those around here? Cause I don't." He answered frowning.

"I"m sure we could find one that suits you." She let out a chuckle. "Hell I've got some girlfriend's who are pros at evil doing and mass destruction. You'd like them. I know I do."

"Look, I don't need you and I don't need anyone from your lesbian brigade." He snarled. "All your doing is pissing me off and I'm thinking about seven different ways I can skin you alive."

Flare raised a thin black eyebrow. Okay, not working. She decided to change her approach. She needed to find a way to crack the wall. She gave him a sadistic smile in return to his comment.

"I have my own list to skin people. You wanna compare?" She asked with a wicked smile.

"Are you making fun of me?" He snapped. He balled his fists as he got near her. "Fuck you bitch!" He landed a punch clear across her face.

Flare barely flinched as she stumbled back. Fuck, he had a nice arm. It had been a long time that being hit hurt this bad. She pushed the pain aside, staring into his dark brown eyes.

"Do you want me to hit you back or just take it?" She asked him sincerely as she licked away the blood from her split lip.

Are you fucking serious?" His eyes widening in disbelief.

"Yes. You obviously need this and I'm willing to give it to you." She gave a smile. "So what will it be? Just so you know I have a pretty solid right hook."

Wes looked at her. He was absolutely stunned. Someone wanting to beat the shit out of him, as a favor? He looked her over in silence as he tried to figure out how to respond to that. Who the hell was this girl?

"I have a lot of pent up rage. I could easily beat you to death. Not to mention our concert is hours away. You sure you can stand your pretty little face beat to shit? Or even be sent to the hospital?"

"I don't really fucking care what everyone thinks of me." She stated. "It'll take a pretty damn good beating to hospitalize me,but you're welcome to try." She told him honestly. "You won't be the first and definitely not the last."

"Tell you what. Let me see what you got and we'll finish what we started after the concert." He smirked. "I'll have you know though, I like it when my victim begs for mercy. But sometimes I like it the other way around. Still think you can handle me?"

Flare gave him a wide smile. Her purple eyes glittering in the dim light. She had to give it Wes. He had a lot of spunk. She was surprised that he would actually take her up on her offer. She knew he needed to expel that energy somehow.

"Deal." 

Without warning, Wes decked her again. He tackled her into her dressing room. Flare used the momentum to flip them over so she was sitting on his chest. Her robe bunched up around her thighs as the top hung off her left shoulder. She pulled her right arm back and cold clocked Wes before he could gather his senses. Twice.

He screamed at her and threw her off him. He tackled her, punching her in the gut and swinging punches left and right. She laid there and took it for a moment. She swung her knee up and nailed him with a solid blow to his ribcage. She rolled him off her and slowly rose to her feet, but still crouched, watching him.

"You're brutal." She teased, wiping the blood from her chin.

"I told you there's a lot of pent up rage." He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. "Now beat the shit outta me. Take this fucking pain away." He blurted out without thinking.

Was that really what he wanted? Would more pain fill the emptiness he felt? Flare smiled at him wickedly. She sprang forward and landed on his chest. She pulled her arm back getting ready to deck him again.

"You asked for it." She told him with a wink.

She leaned down and kissed him.

Wes was stunned as he touched his lips.

"What the fuck did you do?" He wasn't sure if he just imagined it or...

"What do you think I did?" She purred, punching his chest lightly. She rose to her feet, straightening he robe. "Do you feel better?"

"No, not really." He growled. "Now I'm angry AND confused." He looked away from her. A warm feeling spread through his cheeks. "But it helped."

"Well I guess I was some help." Flare turned her back to him and dropped the robe to the floor. "I'm gonna take my shower." She flashed him a steamy look over her bare shoulder. "But you know where to find me after the concert if you still need my assistance."

Wes looked at her perfect flawless body. His own lit up in response to the sight of her backside as he imagined all the scars he could leave on her. He shook his head growling.

_No. _He told himself. _I'm not like them. I'm not like those fucking demons who call themselves my parents. I won't enjoy leaving salted wounds on others. _

Fuck he was messed up. What the hell gave him the right to enjoy the easy way out of life?

"Fuck this." He spat. He felt filthy as he compared his scarred body to the flawless beauty before him. "I don't need this. I carry this burden on my own."

"As I carry my own, but that doesn't mean we can't seek comfort where we can find it." She moved to the bathroom door then turned to face him fully. Her piercings catching the light briefly. "You're more then welcome to join me. We can wash the blood and filth off together." She disappeared inside, leaving the door cracked.

Wes debated what he should do. Was their truth to this woman's words? For some reason, he didn't feel angry. He pondered his options. He probably needed to clean up. Would this woman really allow this stranger, this used trash, into her shower with her? Did she really trust him not to take advantage of the situation or was she asking for it? Why would she openly invite him to her shower, a private and sacred ritual, Wes was sure, was reserved for every female.

His curiosity led him closer to the shower room. What did he find fascinating about this woman? She was so... different, maybe? Wes entered the bathroom and stripped off his bloody tattered clothes. He removed his chain necklaces and set them on the counter. He looked up at his reflection in the mirror and sneered at himself. How could anyone like an ugly little shit like him? This had to be some kind of trick.

"Damn it." He muttered as he got an overwhelming urge to shatter the mirror. "What the fuck is wrong with me? I don't even know what I want." He looked at his gruesome skin and gripped his head. The anger was building again. "I really wish you'd stop fucking with my head!" He screamed.

"Wes." Flared said softly. She moved the glass door aside so she could look at him. "You're thinking too much. Come on." She stated holding his gaze firmly.

His scars didn't bug her. She had her own which she had covered up mostly with tattoos They weren't as vivid as his, but they were still there. She was luckier. Her parents mostly just like to neglect her.

"I'm not trying to fuck with your head, babe. Just want to be your outlet if you need me."

"Why?" He demanded. "Why the fuck would you do that for a total stranger? A psychotic one no less. I'm a raging, sadistic mad fucking asshole with nothing to offer the world but a big middle finger! I shouldn't even be alive! I feel fucking dead! Hell, my own band mates cower away from me, that or they're fucking yelling at me for something I did!"

"Listen Wes, I'm not going to sit here and try to rationalize your life with you. Why look a gift horse in the mouth? All I can say is accept or deny it. It's only your choice to make." She glanced down at his cock. A pleasurable purr erupted from her throat. "Yum. I'm a complete sucker for pierced cocks." She told him with a playful wink.

She took one more glance at Wes' dick, licking her lips in a hungry way. Suddenly her interest in him turned very sexual. She frowned at herself. This really wasn't the time for her to want to jump his dick and ride him like there was no tomorrow.

He looked down at his piercings and looked confused. What the hell was so fascinating about them? He reluctantly followed her into the shower, but kept his distance. He had an image of her grabbing him and hurting him while he was vulnerable. He quickly buried his fears behind a curtain of anger.

"Just don't touch me right now, okay?"

He had never showered with anyone else since he lived with his parents. They clamped him down in the tub and scrubbed him clean for the next customer. He screamed at them that the water was too hot or that the water was getting in his nose or soap in his eyes.

Without warning, Wes withdrew into himself and shrank into the corner, grasping his head. Dry sobs raked his body as he felt his father's callous hands scrubbing his skin raw.

"Aw fuck." He choked out.

Flare watched him for a moment and then took a deep breath. She knelt down in front of him. She picked up a wash clothe she had grabbed earlier and put some of her body wash on it.

Cinnamon filled the air in the most relaxing way. She leaned forward and with a steady, gentle hand started running the clothe along his arm. She watched him carefully the whole time to gag his reactions.

"Wes, you're here with me. Flare. All I want to do is make you feel good." She told him in a soft relaxing voice.

He opened his eyes and saw her face. He snapped back to reality. He slapped the wash clothe out of her hand and glared at her. His body slightly trembling. Form anger or fear, she wasn't quite sure.

"I told you not to touch me!" He yelled through clenched teeth. He was suddenly hit with the realization that she was the only person in a long time that had actually reached out to him. "I... I... I'm sorry..." He forced out, before rocking back and forth with his head buried between his knees.

Flare cringed. This man was worse off then she had initially thought. She cupped his face in her gentle hands, slowly rubbing his cheekbones with her thumbs. She watched him quietly.

"Wes. Look at me please." She whispered.

"I don't want to look at you. I'm disgusting..." He met her amethyst eyes anyway.

She shook her head while holding his dark gaze. She gave him a gentle smile and winked at him. Her thumbs were still moving at the same slow pace against his flesh. She didn't like the fact that he thought so little of himself.

"Can you stand up for me?"

Wes nodded reluctantly. Flare smiled sweetly and slowly rose. Her hands staying on his face, prompting him to rise with her. When they were standing inches away from each other, Flare dropped one hand to grab the last clothe she had brought in for her face.

"We're going to try something. I want you to keep your eyes locked on me at all times. Can you do this for me? That way you know it's me and no one else."

"Try what?" His voice sounded shaky, scared. Only... Wes didn't feel scared... or was he?

"Can you keep your eyes on me at all times?" She repeated. "You answer me and then I'll answer you."

"Uh... okay."

She picked up the body wash and applied some to the clothe. She gave Wes a sincere smile and lightly touched his chest with the clothe. She lowered her voice to barely above a whisper, holding his eyes.

"I'm going to show you how someone who cares for you washes away the filth." She explained as her hand moved over his flesh in gentle motions. "All you have to do is watch me the whole time."

He jumped as the clothe touched him. His mind was immediately swarmed with memories of his past. Her words touched a part of himself that Wes buried a long time ago, but deep down inside he knew there was no way to clean himself. No matter how many times he cleaned himself. He always felt the filth on his distorted body.

"Don't!" Wes jumped away from her. "Let me out! Please!" He begged.

Flare slapped the wash clothe in Wes' hand and brought it to her chest. She placed his other at her waist. She held them both firmly in place. She spoke in a firm voice, demanding his attention.

"Wes come back to me please." She coaxed.

"You can't wash away what can't be cleaned." He sobbed. "You can't."

"You're right." She agreed softly. "But I want my filth washed away, but I can't do it alone." She let go of his hands. "Help me please. I promise I'll stay just like this."

He stared at her. Slowly he turned his attention to the clothe in his hand. He took it from her fully and held it against her slick chest. He softly scrubbed the area around her collarbone as he felt an unfamiliar sting in his eyes. When did he get soap in his eyes?

Flare bit her lip as Wes' eyes stared to grow glossy with tears that had yet to fall. She Was starting to wonder if she was pushing him too hard. Maybe she had overestimated Wes' control over his past.

"You don't have to Wes. Not if you don't want too." She reassured him.

"Washing my body here will be no different than washing it in my room or any other room." His voice was shaky as he spoke. "There's no point to this. Nothing will bring me back to this wretched life. I have nothing to live for."

He dropped the cloth and turned toward the door of the shower. He felt emotionally drained and for some reason he still felt like he had soap in his eyes. He just wanted to go back to his room and slice at himself until he felt better.

"So for now, I'm gonna do what I've always done. Play bass till my fingers are raw, fuck a few fan girls, and earn a seven digit paycheck. I'm going to pretend like I'm fucking happy and I care about every wretched breath I take."

"You go ahead and keep pretending Wes. If that's what is easiest. But when you're ready to be a man and face your fears, I'll be here waiting for you." Flare retorted in the same tone he used for her. Indifference.

"Ya know what? Fuck you! I'm not afraid of anything! And I'd say I'm plenty a fuckin' man to have clawed my way through life this long!" He spat out heatedly.

"Exactly Wes. Clawed your way through life. On your hands and knees, instead of your own feet with her head held high."

"You try living you're entire life as your parents sex slave. While they sell you to a bunch of fucking perverts who pay them thousands of dollars!" Wes got right up in her face, rage painted his expression as he screamed at her. "Which they spend on themselves so that they can live a fancy life without the reminder that they can't have kids or live a life without getting chemo all the time. They blame their cursed son for causing them so many problems! Then come to back to me and tell me how high you can hold up your FUCKING HEAD!" With blind rage to guide him, Wes punched the glass shower door and shattered it.

"You're right, you fucking pity case. I didn't have parents who used and sold me as a fucking sex slave. Instead my parents beat the shit out of me daily, while I was tied down on a table. That happened to be down in the basement of our house which was my fucking bedroom. They liked to sharpen their god damn fillet knives on my flesh. If you weren't so fucking self absorbed you would see the scars." She grabbed his hand and shoved it between her legs.

"You feel that?" She hissed at him. "Of course you don't because I don't have a fucking clit. My father sawed it off with a fucking hand saw." She chocked on the last word.

She shoved him away and got out. She was so irate that she didn't even feel the glass bite into her bare feet. She spun around to face him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"But you don't see me wallowing in self misery and letting them win." With her words resounding around the bathroom, she slammed the door behind her.

Wes stormed after her stepping on the glass himself. He flung the door open and grabbed her wrist before she could get away from him. He always got the last word in a fight. No matter who it was with.

"I'd love to compare fucking sob stories, but I'm still trying to figure out the fucking motives of some deranged chick, I don't even know, who tried to get me into the shower with her, just so she could wash away my 'filth'. Why she goes out of her way to make me happy living in this pitiful existence! No one ever goes out of their way to make me happy! Do you hear me? NO ONE!"

Wes couldn't even begin to explain what he was thinking. One moment he was screaming at her and the next he was pulling her against his hard body. His lips locked onto hers in a demanding kiss.

Flare stood stiff against him, then a muffled sob escaped from between their lips. She clung to his hair in handfuls. She let her tongue meet his halfway. She pulled her body flush against his. The glass that was in the bottom of her feet biting deeply into the flesh as she cried even harder.

Wes eyes stung once more and fogged over as he embraced the woman in his deformed arms. He couldn't even begin to explain what he was feeling. What she was making him feel.

"Fuck." He sobbed against her lips. For some reason, the tears came to him. Why now of all the fucking times? He didn't know, but as soon as they did he couldn't stop the uncontrollable sobs. "God this world is fucked. I'm sorry that happened to you. I really am."

Flare looked up at him surprised. Out of all the things he could have said, this was not what she had expected. She sniffled and roughly wiped away the unwanted tears. She felt warmth spread through out her from his unexpected words.

"Shit happens right." Flare tried to sound nonchalant.

"Mother fucking right." Wes agreed. "Ow, my fucking feet feel like they're on fire." He looked down at them and saw a pool of blood. "We probably need to go to a fucking hospital." Wes cursed with a small sniffle.

"Nah. All we need is some tweezers and a shit load of Jack Daniel's... and maybe Cherish to do some stitching." She cringed at the thought.

"I'm down. It's better than going to one of those medical prisons and having the doctors pester you about that useless 'Suicide Hotline'." Wes realized he was still holding the dark haired woman against himself. He quickly separated from her. "Well, anyway. This was probably one of the most fucked up experiences I've had outside my parent's house." He looked over at her once more. "What did you say your name was?"

Flare's musical laughter filled her small dressing room. Her amethyst eyes sparkling mischievously. She leaned up and kissed Wes lightly on the lips, surprising him once more.

"Flare... Flare Bailey."

Wes had to hide the smile that almost cracked his lips. His body warmed in response to her soft kiss. He turned his head away in embarrassment. He attempted to hid his face from the only living soul on earth who had broken through the iron defenses of Wes Merritt.


	9. Chapter 9

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 9

Lily gnawed on the cap of her pen viciously, eyes narrowed in concentration. She had got the new laptop on her emergency credit card that her father had given her. She rushed back to the venue and tore both computers apart.

She was now working on her new laptop with her old motherboard. She felt very accomplished. An image of her and Nolan from this morning flashed into her mind. A deep blush rushed across her flesh and down her neck.

_I feel accomplished over that too. _She thought to herself with a little giggle.

"What are you laughing about Lily Bear?" Drake asked from behind her.

"Don't know. Just happy I guess." She answered.

Drake pulled up a chair next to her and straddled the back of the chair. He crossed his arms over the top of it and rested his chin on them. He gave her one of his lazy smiles that use to make her stomach flutter nervously.

"I'm really sorry about your computer."

"Don't worry about it. Accidents happen. We worked it out." She reassured him.

The silence that fell between them was a comfortable one. Lily realized that she wasn't nervous around him for the first time in her life. She had had a crush on Drake O' Riley since she had met him in High School, but he never showed any kind of interest in her, but for her musical talents. She didn't have those feelings for him anymore. Nolan was all she could think of.

Drake watched Lily as she worked. There was something different about her demeanor. She still gave off her innocent vibe, but there was a glow around her that he suddenly found extremely appealing.

"Lily." His voice was very deep, must be from his sudden attraction to her.

She stopped typing and turned to him with a questioning expression. She still had the same soft golden brown eyes, but her cheeks seemed rosier and her lips looked full, luscious.

He couldn't stop himself from reaching out and grabbing a strand of her soft brown hair, twirling it around his pointer finger. The lock of hair was as smooth as silk. He vaguely wondered if her flesh would feel as soft.

Lily stared at Drake. He was touching her. Why was he touching her? He had never given her the time of day before. She was struck stupid and couldn't do anything but stare at the younger man.

"When did you become so beautiful?" She whispered leaning toward her.

Wes sat in one of the leather chairs provided by the staff and looked over at Flare. She was getting her feet fixed up by Cherish. Wes looked at his own feet. They were bandaged and stitched. Cherish had ordered him to elevate them until showtime.

He looked over at Nolan who sat next to him with a music magazine in hand. Somehow, Wes knew that Nolan was worried about him and that was the reason the silent man sat so close to him.

Wes huffed a sigh of frustration. He wanted a drink, but he wasn't about to ask for help. The refreshment table wasn't far. He decided to just get up and get something. Plus, the drugs were helping. Nolan moved to stop him.

"Sit your ass down, I'm just getting a drink." Wes snapped.

Somewhere in his head, he could hear Cherish yelling at him. He really didn't care. He walked over to the table and threw back a shot of whiskey. His eyes traveled on stage where he knew Lily was working on her computer.

He scowled. Their was another guy there with her. The lead singer of the Suicide Angels. What was that dick's name again? Accessing the situation, he realized that he was getting fresh with the younger girl.

He was instantly blinded with rage. He squeezed the shot glass so hard that it shattered in his hand. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the glass and then threw it back on the table.

He stomped over to the man, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. He grabbed the man by his shoulder. He spun him around and looked down at him with fire lighting his eyes.

"That's my best friend's girl you got your filthy little fucking hands on!" Then he decked him, clean out of his seat.

"Wes!" Lily shrieked in horror.

Drake was on the floor, looking up at Wes with rage flashing in his baby blue eyes. He tested his jaw with the hand he wasn't holding himself up on. Wes had a nice solid hit, but Drake didn't care. The beat down was on.

"You want a piece of me, asshole?" Drake growled as he got to his feet.

"Drake Sanders O' Riley!" Cherish's hard voice echoed throughout the empty venue. She was standing in front of the snack table. "Count your loses and go get some air."

"But this fucker-" Drake snarled.

"Stop." Cherish hissed. "Lily, who's your boyfriend?"

"Nolan Perez." She answered with a confident voice. She looked up at Drake. "We started dating last night." She explained firmly.

"Shit." He muttered, running a shaky hand through his hair. "I guess I owe you another apology." Drake turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.

"Thank you Wes." Lily told Wes who was still standing by her. "Nolan is really lucky to have a good friend like you."

"Whatever." He retorted, shrugging it off. "Nolan's not that great. You should find yourself a man who isn't a total fucking emo faggot." Wes locked eyes with Drake just before he went out side and then stormed off stage.

Lily's mouth dropped open at the insult. She was confused. Hadn't Wes just told Drake that Nolan was his best friend, so why did he just say that about the other man? She couldn't believe it.

"I'm going to finish with Flare and then we are up for rehearsal. How's that program coming Lily?" Cherish called her out of her confusion.

"It's... almost done." Her eyes still lingered on the spot where Wes had just left.

Nolan, concerned with all the commotion, got up and walked toward the stage. He turned the corner only to bump into Wes. The man pushed him away immediately, looking like he wanted to kill something.

"Watch where you're walking, dickhead!" Then he continued down the hall.

Nolan raised an eyebrow at Wes' usual behavior and walked over to Lily. He put a single arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek softly. She blushed and continued to work on her computer.

Deimeon watched Wes stomp off and flop down on the couch where Nolan had recently vacated. He picked up the same magazine and started thumbing through it. Deimeon glanced over at the door Drake had disappeared into. He frowned. That's the second time Deimeon's band had sent the man off with bitterness. Though the first time around was Deimeon himself.

He didn't like the fact that this had happened and felt it was his duty clear the air a little. After all he liked Drake. He grabbed two beers off the table as he walked by. He made his way after Drake. His senses reached out to the human. Deimeon felt Drake had calmed down enough to where he could be approached.

"Hey man." Deimeon flashed his trademark smile. "Thought you might need this." He held the beer out to the younger man. "Just don't tell your sister, okay?"

Drake spun around at the sound of Deimeon's voice. Fear laced down his spine, but he hide it behind a look of confusion. He slowly reached out and took the offered beverage from Deimeon.

"Thanks. So what do you want?" He inquired, popping the cap off and taking a large gulp from the cold brew.

Fuck ya, he really had needed that. His jaw hurt like a bitch and he could feel it swelling. He just prayed it wouldn't effect his singing. Fuck, in two days he had managed to get into it because of two taken girls and he hadn't even known they were with someone. Maybe it would be safer if he turned gay.

"I've kept my distance from Kitty, man. I didn't realize you two were a thing or I would have never approached her."

"Well, see I wanted to apologize for that." Deimeon responded sheepishly. "Kitty and I are an item not, but we weren't back then. I guess I just got protective of her. When I met her a couple of years ago, I kind of figured she had gone through some shit. She's kind of awkward around guys." He hoped that Drake could take the hint without Deimeon revealing too much about her.

"I can understand that, man." Drake took another swig of his beer. "I was just a little thrown off by the whole beastly act. If I didn't know any better I would think you weren't human." Drake joked, a bark of laughter filled the air. "I guess it's a good thing I do know better."

Deimeon laughed along with him. He shifted nervously hoping that the other man didn't notice. Drake had no idea how close to the truth he really was and Deimeon hoped that he could avoid every revealing it to him or the man's band mates.

"Hey man, I just wanted to say that we really like touring with you guys. You're all really talented." He clapped Drake on the back. "And I think you're a pretty cool guy. I wouldn't mind hanging out with you over a beer sometime."

"Aren't we doing that?" Drake asked with wide grin, sporting his pearly white teeth.

"Yeah, I guess we are." Deimeon laughed. "I'll take you out to the bar sometime though. We could kick back, watch the game, play some pool. You down, my brother?"

"Yeah if you can get my underage ass in the bar."

"No problem. Just don't tell your sister. She's a scary woman."

"Believe me, I know. I've had to deal with her for twenty years." Deimeon chuckled.

"Well, when do you-"

Suddenly the backstage door opened. Lyndon's small form appeared in the door frame. Feeling the cold air, he wrapped his arms around himself. He made his way over to the two guys.

"I'm not interrupting am I?" He asked.

"No Lyndon. You're alright." Deimeon offered the man a smile.

"Good." He answered looking satisfied. Then he held out an ice pack to Drake. One of his arms still wrapped around himself trying to ward off the cold. "This is for you. I saw what happened. I'm sorry about Wes. He really means well."

Drake gave Lyndon a charming smile and took the ice pack. He didn't really need it, but he didn't want to be inconsiderate to the guy. It was obvious that he was trying to be nice and Drake was thankful for that.

"Nah, it's all good. I deserved it, but that doesn't mean I have to like him." Drake stated, chugging the rest of his beer.

"Nope, not at all. Chances are, he doesn't like you either." Lyndon shivered, but tried to play it off. "Oh, Haven's looking for you Deimeon. And your rehearsal is in an hour Drake. They just announced it."

"Sounds good. I better go in." Drake opened the door then turned to look Lyndon over. "You should really get a coat on before you get sick." He winked at the purple haired man and disappeared back inside the venue.

Deimeon swore he saw Lyndon blush slightly. The younger man turned his head and followed the other back inside. Deimeon shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. It was the creeping chill he got up his spine when something supernatural was around.

Before Deimeon could react, something swooped down and snatched up Lyndon right before he opened the door. He screamed out in surprise and fear. Deimeon lunged forward and tried to catch his friend's hand but missed by inches as Lyndon was carried away from him. Deimeon was about to unfurl his wings, when he too was attacked by something in the sky. He was pinned down by massive claws.

Cherish was almost to the exit when Drake walked in. She put her hands on her hips while he offered her a sheepish smile. He continued by her, heading for the stage. She let out a heavy sigh. Sometimes she didn't know what to do with him. He annoyed her but she loved him to pieces.

A muffled scream came through the door behind her. She frowned and went to push the door open. Something slammed Deimeon down hard onto the ground just as she came out. Cherish's survival instinct kicked it. She grabbed one of the folding chairs that was leaning against the building. With all her strength, she hit the creature over the back with it. Deimeon shot to his feet.

"Thanks."

He went over to the stunned Nemendo that had trapped him. He shoved his claw into the creature's chest. It roared in pain before it slowly faded to a thick black smoke. Deimeon turned his attention back to Cherish.

"One of them has Lyndon." He glanced up at the sky. "They are trying to lead me away so they can attack anyone who walks outside." He looked down at her. His eyes glowing a dim green. His pupils shrank to small black dots that were barely visible. "Keep everyone inside. I'll be back in five."

He opened his wings and spread them out. He pumped them hard and went soaring high into the air. Completely out of Cherish's line of sight. Cherish stood there for a moment and then shook the initial shock off. What a demanding guy. She really didn't want to argue though. She would be happy not to see another one of those things.

_Yeah right. _She thought.

Not while she was traveling with the Black Doves. She reached for her phone, dialing Haven's number as she walked back into the building. She thought about locking the door, but she wasn't sure if those creatures knew how to open doors and Deimeon would need to get back in.

"Yep." Haven's voice carried into her ear.

"We have an issue... again. Where are you?" She demanded.

"Inside, backstage, why?" He looked at his phone. "I'm not hard to find. Why the heck did you call me?" He paused as her tone and what she said clicked in. "Aw, shit. Really? Again? Look I'll take care of this Cherish just make sure all the lights are on okay?" He hung up the phone and whistled loudly. "Okay people, we have a situation! That was the police. Apparently there's a killer on the loose and he was heading this direction. We're all to be on lock down till further notice and all the lights are to be turned on." Cherish came around the corner as she listened to Haven. She snorted at his ridiculous excuse. She shook her head in disbelief and leaned against the wall.

"Such class." She muttered.

Haven watched as the crew locked down and turned on the lights in the large venue. He pulled a cigarette out of his pack and lit it. He took a deep pull off it and let the smoke out slowly. He sighed in satisfaction. Wes walked over to him and looked around.

"It's those things again, isn't it?"

"Yep."

"What are you guys talking about?" Nolan asked, appearing on the other side of Haven.

Haven sighed as he motioned the man closer with a tilt of his head. He explained the situation quickly, trying not to forget any important details. His voice was barely above a whisper. Nolan's expression barely changed as he listened.

"I can't find Lyndon!" Kitty hollered in a panic as she came to Haven's side. "Or Deimeon."

"Deimeon's out taking care of the 'murderer'." He put a sarcastic emphasis on the word. "As for Lyndon, he's probably in the back doing his make up. Cuz that's what fags spend most of the day doing."

"Actually one of those things snatched him and Deimeon went to get him." Cherish responded from the wall.

Haven cursed under his breath. "I hope D comes back soon. I don't trust those things not to make short work of that queer's pretty little face."

Lily came over and grabbed Nolan's hand. She glanced at everyone, studying them closely. She didn't like any of their expressions. She knew that something bad had happened for them all to look so worried.

"What's really going on?" She pressed

Nolan's expression changed at her words. He pulled Lily away from the group and led her to a more private area. He glanced around nervously. She was more observant then he gave her credit for.

"Are you... okay? If you're scared I can hold you." He told her quietly.

"I want to know what's going on. You and Deimeon had the same looks on your face last night when you corralled me into your room."

"Um...I...I..." Nolan didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected to be dealing with this. He also wasn't quick on his feet with good cover up stories like Haven was. "It's... nothing."

"If you don't tell me. I'll find someone who will." She snapped, glaring at him.

"Lily, we have it under control." Cherish called to her. "It's okay." Lily ignored her.

"Just so you know Nolan." She hissed. "I don't appreciate being lied too." Then she stormed off.

He frowned as he watched her leave. He didn't like lying to her either, but she couldn't handle the truth. If she would even believe him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked past Cherish with his head down. He walked down the hall away from everyone else and went past the storage room.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of glass shattering. He looked back into the storage room. Deimeon had broken through the window with Lyndon wrapped tightly in his arms. Nolan looked outside to see several dark shapes darting around outside just beyond the window. They hissed and growled before disappearing.

He looked at the two on the floor and rushed over to help them. Deimeon shot up and snarled at him. Nolan took a step back. Deimeon stood up, heaving unconscious Lyndon on to the floor. Nolan became immediately concerned when Lyndon's fragile body didn't move. The guitarist was covered in black scratches, but they didn't look very deep or fatal.

Nolan's eyes shot up to Deimeon who was only inches away from him now. He backed away slowly intending on running from him. His Sensei's words rang in his head.

_Never run from the tiger. If you display equal strength, the tiger will see you as an equal. _

Nolan stiffened. He braced himself in the door and stood firmly. He locked his eyes with the demon. Blood dripped down Deimeon's face, making him look much more threatening then he already was. His inhuman eyes narrowed on Nolan.

"Stop it Deimeon." Nolan stated in a firm voice.

The demon hesitated, then raised a clawed hand to the man in the doorway. Nolan swallowed hard. He started to doubt his decision to stand his ground. Deimeon could easily kill him with a flick of his wrist.

Flare had watched Nolan walk away with his head down. She usually liked to mind her own business, but for some reason she felt compelled to give the boy a few insight points about her girl Lily.

She saw Nolan disappear in the storage room. She paused in confusion. Why the hell would he go in there of all places? That was just a little strange in her opinion. A loud crash filled the hallway. Suddenly concerned that Nolan was trying to hurt himself she took off after him.

She froze behind Nolan who was standing just inside the door. In front of him was a creature unlike anything Flare had ever seen before. It was like something you read in a book or saw in a horror flick.

It reared back to attack Nolan. She acted on impulse. She grabbed Nolan by the back of the shirt and yanked him into the hallway. She kicked out at the creature, striking him in the chest. The beast went flying back into a shelf behind him. She yanked the door shut.

She grabbed Nolan by his bicep and pulled him up to his feet. She proceeded to drag him down the hall with her. Whatever that thing was, it wouldn't stay in there for much longer and she had to warn everyone else.

"What's all the commotion, Flare?" Drake called from down the hall. "Are you beating the poor guy because he's with your girlfriend?" He taunted.

Nolan pulled out of Flare's grasp and ran back to the room leaving the two behind. He couldn't leave Lyndon in there, alone with Deimeon. Not when he was like that. He threw open the door and went to Lyndon who was on the floor. Nolan looked up at Deimeon who appeared to be unconscious and normal. His wings had disappeared.

"Stupid mother fucker..." Flare grumbled.

She ran after Nolan and came through the door. She fell short. Everything... was normal. She frowned. Nolan was hovering over a passed out Lyndon who had obviously seen better days. Deimeon laid out cold on the floor where she had kicked the creature.

"What the fuck?" She stated, eyes narrowing on Deimeon. Could he be? "I'm fucking crazy." She muttered, but never took her hard amethyst eyes off of the man.

Nolan scooped Lyndon up in his arms. He listened for a heartbeat and a strong pulse replied. He sighed in relief. Deimeon groaned from behind him as he slowly started to stir. Nolan looked up at Flare who stared at Deimeon like he was a ghost.

Deimeon kicked off a bunch of random junk that had fallen on him. He slowly stood up, wiping the blood off his face. He looked up and accessed the situation. He was unsure of what was going on. He put his hand up and smiled nervously.

"Uh...hi."

Flare reached back and deck Deimeon as hard as she could. She wasn't positive that he had been the creature, but it was better to be safe then sorry. Plus it made her feel good when Deimeon landed right back in the mess he had just rose from.

"Ow!" Deimeon yelled, holding hid face. "What was that for? You didn't-"

Deimeon was immediately cut off as the top shelf, the only on that was still intact, snapped on one side, dumping cleaning supplies all over him. The last item being black paint. It landed upside down right on top of his head.

"That," Flare answered with a shit eating grin. "Is for almost eating my best friend's boyfriend."

"Flare leave the poor man-" Drake's voice trailed off as he took in the scene in front of him. He squinted at the figure on the ground in front of Flare. "Deimeon?"

Deimeon rose to his feet a smile on his lips as he knocked the paint bucket off his head. Drake couldn't help but try to stifle his laughter. Flare had to bit back a smile of her own. He really did look ridiculous.

"Thought I'd see what I look like with black hair." Deimeon laughed. "Never mind, it's no big deal." He cautiously walked around Flare to get to Nolan and Lyndon. "We should get out of here. Practice is going to start soon."

"So what did you do to him Deimeon? Beside scratch the shit out of him?" Flare demanded crossing her arms over her chest.

"What are you talking about Flare?"

"Shut up Drake!" Deimeon narrowed his eyes on her.

"I didn't do it." He said in a voice that was as cold as ice.

"Fine. I'll believe you... for now, but we will have this conversation at a later date." Her own eyes narrowed and her voice dropped an octave. "Beast boy." Then she turned and stormed out.

Deimeon raised an eyebrow. Nolan immediately picked up that the name was a character in a DC comic cartoon. He doubted it was aimed toward that though. Lyndon stirred by his legs, drawing his attention back to the young man.

"Deimeon?" Lyndon whispered. He looked up at Nolan and shivered. "Nolan?" He clung to Nolan's button down shirt. "Oh my god I was so scared." 

Drake frowned at the scene in front of him. What the hell was going on? Why was Lyndon scared? He knelt down by them and put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. His eyes softened as he spoke quietly to him.

"You're safe now Lyndon and none of us will let anything else hurt you." He soothed.

Deimeon was warmed to see all of Lynden's support. The younger boy responded with a quick jerk of surprise and turned his eyes toward Drake's concerned face. He really was a handsome guy. His features were perfect. His eyes were a vibrant blue, so soft and warm. He really did feel safe as he looked up at the red haired man.

"Lyndon was attacked by some muggers." Deimeon offered a reason for the blood and scratches on the smaller man. "But I gave them a good walloping."

"Good. Too bad I wasn't there to add my own can of whoop ass." Drake stated with conviction.

Lyndon frowned at Deimeon. He was making him sound helpless. Lyndon could fight, pretty darn well actually. But for some reason, he didn't want Drake to think he was pathetic. Then again, there was probably no other reason to give for the way Lyndon looked. He covered it up with a laugh.

"You don't need to do that. I'm fine really. I got outnumbered is all. But thanks for the support. I appreciate it." Lyndon stood on his feet with Nolan's help.

He really did look worse for wear. His whole body ached and stung as he stood. The scratches were all over his body from those things. They had shredded his clothes up into bloody rags practically.

"It's okay Nolan." He said in a soft voice. "I can stand on my own." He tucked a stray hair behind his ear. "I better get cleaned up."

Nolan slowly released his friend. He wasn't quite sure that leaving Lyndon to his own devices was such a good idea. The smaller man limped toward the door as Deimeon tensed ready to catch him if he fell.

Drake didn't hesitate. He rose to his whole six feet and scooped Lyndon up in his arms with ease. At a steady pace, he headed down the hall. He hoped to god the heat he felt from his face wasn't apparent, but for some reason he felt an overwhelming urge to protect the small fragile man in his arms. Didn't mean he was gay. He was just being a good friend... right?

Lyndon yelped in surprise as he was swept off his feet and scooped into the man's arms. He didn't understand at all the reason for Drake's actions. Lyndon felt his heart flutter in his chest as he curled up comfortably in the man's arms.

"Drake, I... I …" He smiled up at him before leaning against his chest. The thick smell of musk filed his nostrils. God he smelt good. "Thank you." He finished on a whisper.

"Yeah... well you looked extremely unsteady on your feet. It wouldn't be good for the Black Doves if you added a concussion to all those injuries." Drake retorted, ignoring the raised eyebrow look that came from Cherish as he passed by her.

"I'm stronger then I look." He said with a smile. "My dressing room is the one down the hall." He looked at Drake's shirt and frowned. "I'm sorry about your shirt. If you give it back to me later I'll scrub the bloodstains out of it."

"I'm not doubting your strong, but sometimes we need a good friend to lean on." Drake looked down at his TAP shirt. "Don't worry about it. I got more where this came from." He kicked the door open and entered Lyndon's dressing room.

"I'll be okay from here Drake." Lyndon said softly. "Thank you."

Drake set him down delicately, returning him to his feet. Lyndon wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly feeling very warmed by this man. He looked over Drake and couldn't resist the sudden hardness in his pants. He nibbled his bottom lip as his cock bit into his zipper.

Drake O' Riley was really good looking and tall. Lyndon actually had to look up at him just to gaze into hauntingly beautiful baby blue eyes of his. Lyndon had to admit he had a soft spot for tall men. They were just so sexy. A call from somewhere behind him, broke Lyndon's trance.

"You better get out there for practice." He told Drake.

"Yeah. Heaven forbid Cherish storms in here and embarrasses me, by dragging me out by my ear." Drake answered with a nervous laugh. "Take it easy okay Lyndon." Drake ordered before he disappeared out the door.

The venue was filled with the rock music of Suicide Angels. Wes watched with fascination as Flare beat on the drums like a mad woman. He couldn't help but lick his lips as he remembered the way she hit him in the dressing room.

Lyndon hadn't noticed it before, but Drake's voice was absolutely breathtaking. He sang into the mic and worked the crowd with an energy he rarely saw in a singer. It was almost hypnotic.

Haven watched with satisfaction. The Suicide Angels were a good choice, he thought to himself. Haven glanced at Deimeon and Kitty, who were cuddling on the couch. He frowned when he noticed that the light on the phone off to the left was flashing, indicating that there was an incoming call. No doubt some critic wanting to speak with him about the Suicide Angels.

Haven wanted to pick it up and be the one to pass the message to Cherish. He wanted to see her smile when he told her the news. He moved to the phone and picked up the receiver. Moving the cigarette to the other end of his mouth.

"Yep?" He grunted. He held his finger to his free ear to block out the blaring music from the stage.

"Is... is Cherish O' Riley there?" Haven barely heard the female voice on the other end. This didn't sound like a critic.

"Who the hell are you?" She started crying.

"Please, I need to speak to her."

Haven raised an eyebrow in both irritation and confusion. He hated it when women cried. There was usually no way to shut them up when they got like this. It made him feel awkward.

"Okay, you're obviously drunk. Call back when you're sober." Haven told her and hung up. "Fucking prank callers." He grumbled.

The phone rang again. He glared at it and debated not even picking it up. He sighed heavily and swiped the receiver off the stand. He pressed it to his ear as he ashed his cigarette on the floor.

"What the hell do you want drunky?" He was answered by sobs.

"Oh for Christ's sake." Haven put his hand on the mouth piece. "Cherish!" His voice boomed over the music. "Some drunk bitch wants to talk to you!" He held up the phone and waved it at her.

Cherish was lightly bobbing her head in time with the music. She hated rock music, always have. There was only a select few bands she could actually tolerate. The Black Doves wasn't one of them.

Haven's voice echoed throughout the backstage, making her cringe. She turned to glare ice daggers at him. He was waving the phone over his head. She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

"Good grief." She muttered walking over to him. She snatched the phone from him and pressed it to her ear, plugging her other one. "Cherish O' Riley here."

"Cherish?" A young soft voice answered her with a sob. "It's Chloe. Can you... come pick me up?"

"Chloe!" Cherish asked in stun disbelief. "What's going on baby? Why are you crying?" She demanded, her motherly instinct kicking in.

"I ran away from home two weeks ago." She hiccuped as she tried to collect herself. "I've been squatting on several different freight trains trying to catch up to you." She sniffled. "I ran outta food two days ago. I have no money and no clothes. I'm at the Noshiro train station. It's dark and cold. There's a lot of freaky people out here." Her voice began to shake. "Please... I know you're busy, but I don't want to be alone and I really don't want to go back home. I hate it there. I didn't know where else to turn." She gasped as background voices filled the receiver in the background.

"Cherish! Hurry!" The line clicked and went dead.

The panic filled Cherish's chest as fear filled her whole body. She didn't frightened easily, but this terrified her. That was her baby sister in the world... alone. Possibly in serious trouble. She didn't like the way their phone call ended.

"Chloe...Chloe!" She screamed, hysterically into the receiver, not realizing she was crying.

She slammed the phone back into the cradle. She needed to think. Noshiro station was an hour drive from where she was, but she could make it there in thirty minutes if she drove like a mad women... and she was mad.

"What the hell?" Haven asked concerned. "What was that all about?" He became even more worried at the small woman's frantic voice and equally frantic expression.

"My younger sister ran away from home." The rental car. She pulled the keys out of her pocket and headed for the backstage exit. "She's in danger. I need to go get her."

Haven raised an eyebrow at that. Just how many siblings did this woman have? Did her parent's breed like rabbits or something. Really? He could never imagine having a bunch of kids.

"Wait. I'll go with you. I know these streets like the back of my hand. I'll get you there in twenty."

Cherish paused and glanced at him. She knew her band would be confused if she was gone, but her sister needed her more. She made up her mind quickly and tossed the keys at the man.

"Let's hurry. There's no time to waste."

"D!" Haven yelled as he hurried out the door. "You're in charge."

Before Deimeon could even object, Haven was outside, gun at ready in case those 'things' came out of the darkness at them. They quickly piled into the rental car as Haven started it up. He put the car into gear and peeled out of the parking lot.

He cut through the streets, dodging traffic with ease. He broke every traffic law as he sped through the city, his adrenaline pumping through him. Turning a corner, he barely missed a crossing pedestrian as he entered a rural neighborhood.

As if guided by GPS, he knew each and every turn, remembered every detail, every street name. He flew through stop signs, narrowly missing traffic on several occasions. As he winded through the roads, the rural area became a dreary crowded business district. It was filled with dark and foreboding warehouses. He sped through a railway just as it blared and flashed in warning of an oncoming train. Screeching around another intersection he made his way to the train yard where he knew exactly where the payphones were.

Cherish had lifted the hem of her business skirts and pulled out two matching knives from the holsters at her thighs. She placed them on her lap, pulled the hair tie off her wrist. She pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail.

She waited with deadly calm settling over her. She was ready to dive out of the car as soon as it stopped. Her tiny hands gripping the hilt of her daggers. She would kill anyone who tried to hurt her family.

Haven screeched the car to a halt as it slid across the pavement. A young girl, who looked to be in her early teens, ran out into the street. She wore a black skin tight tee shirt that revealed her small waist and developing breasts. Her hair was in two sloppy pigtails as if someone had been pulling her hair. The plaid skirt she wore looked crooked and awkward.

The girl also had dirt and bruises all over her skin, her knees looked bloody. She ran with her small messenger bag flapping against her back side as she was grabbed from behind by a man, with three others running at her from the darkness. The girl screamed and whirled around decking the man hard across the face. To Haven's surprise, the force sent the man careening into the pavement with a sickening thud.

As the other men surrounded her, two of them each grabbed one of her arms. The third tried to grab at her breasts. She sent a thick booted foot up at him landing a clean shot under his chin. He flew backward and collapsed on the street choking. Yeah, this was definitely Cherish's sister. She had some fight in her.

Cherish threw the door open and jumped out of the car. She was in a dead run as soon as her feet hit the asphalt. Her anger making her body foster at the sight of her sister. She needed to get her sister out of there.

"Get in the fucking car, Chloe." She screamed as she came at the first man.

She kneed him hard in the crotch, smoothly bring him to his knees. A flick of her wrist, the man's eyes widened as blood spilled down the front of him from his fresh neck wound. She head footfalls coming from behind her. She fell into a crouch and knocked the approaching man's feet out from under him. She jumped on top of him and buried her knife deep into his forehead before, yanking it out.

She moved off him and rose to her whole five feet to face the other two who were recovering to their feet. She took a step forward with deadly intent, blood lust shinning in her now ice blue eyes.

"How dare you touch my sister!" She spat out.

Chloe didn't hesitate as she ran to the car and jumped into the back seat of the vehicle. Haven puffed on a cigarette as he detached the silencer from his handgun. He stuck it out the window and fired shots at the men causing them to quickly scatter, or limp, into hiding.

"Cherish! That's enough! Let's go!" He yelled.

It took Cherish a second to register Haven's words. She sneered and sheathed her knives. She turned to walk back to the car calmly. Different then what she had been a moment ago.

"I guess it's your lucky day dogs." Cherish called out over her shoulder.

She ducked into the car and took a couple of calming breaths. She turned to face her baby sister and held her green eyes. She didn't even know to begin. She was so pissed that her sister put herself in this situation, but also glad she was safe.

"You better explain to me why the fuck you ran away from home and you better do it quick or I'm going to make you into sushi." Cherish threatened in a calm detached voice.

Chloe held her sister's gaze. She crossed her arms defiantly. Streaks of tears could be seen clearly down her cheeks, cutting through the thin layer of dirt on her face. She was shaking hard from the trauma of the situation. Regardless of her disposition, she had a look of fearless confidence, she looked anything but pathetic and helpless.

"As if that question is worth asking." She stated, her Irish accent hinted in her voice. "Think about mom and dad for a second and then ask me why I didn't run away sooner. "

Haven put the car into reverse and looked over at Cherish's thighs where he knew she was keeping her now bloody knives. He had not fucking expected that at all. Cherish had totally turned around her usual demeanor to a half crazed animal. The way she wielded those knives with careless ease made it almost beautiful. Haven wanted her even more then ever.

"I'm fully aware how mother and father are." Cherish hissed. "And don't take that tone with me Chloe Neva O' Riley. I'll knock that mouth off your face. I'm not in the mood for your sarcasm.

Cherish turned to face the front of the car. She took a few breaths to recollect her composure. She grabbed her trench coat that she had left in the chair earlier and handed it to her sister.

"Here. Put that on." Cherish lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. "Listen, I know they were hard to deal with but you were hard to deal with but you were safe there. You had food, shelter, and you could go to school and get a good education. Fuck Chloe! You were safe there." Cherish replied now feeling tired and worn out. Chloe's defenses dropped as her body relaxed.

"I was safe, yeah, but not happy. I want to be free sis. I want to be able to do what I want to do instead of doing what is expected of me. I'm the last kid in the house, so father has me on a set schedule. He doesn't even let me go shopping. He just has the servants go for me. And I hate father's taste. Everything is bright colors and poof skirts, with him. I feel like a dog he can control and dress in whatever ridiculous sweater he wants. Then drags me on a leash showing everyone in the pompous dog park how perfect his life is."

"Oh my god, how terrible for you ." Cherish mocked. "Don't you dare pull that shit on me. You have no idea what being controlled is. Remember who the fuck you're talking to before you start complaining about getting your life taken from you. I have half a mind to send your ass right back home." Cherish retorted. "All you had to do was call me and I would have rescued you from them Chloe. YOU should have known that."

"Dad took away my phone privileges." Her younger sister snapped. "I couldn't call anyone without supervision. Jesus, Cherish don't get mad at me. You should know what it's like living there. So stop getting all pissy with me. I'd rather be with you. You and Drake are more like family than mom and dad ever were. Hell, I know the servants better than I know them."

Cherish's anger flared again and she slammed her tiny fist into the dashboard. The flesh split over her knuckles and started bleeding profusely. The pain mingled with her emotions and it helped distract her a little.

"Just shut the fuck up Chloe. You're not listening to a word I'm saying and I'm done arguing with you." Cherish gritted her teeth, before she turned into a complete bitch and back handed her sister. "I just killed two people for you Chloe. Two people! Because I was so scared out of my fucking mind about someone hurting you!" Cherish felt the tears trail down her cheeks, but that was the only indication she was crying. "And I wouldn't had to if you would have been mature and sucked it up like Drake and I had."

"I'm sorry Cherish." She said through a sob. "I just missed you guys and father wouldn't let me see you. And...and...I don't want to go back. I want to live with you. I want to be like Drake and follow my dreams. I can't do that with a leash on."

Two women were in the car crying and getting all fucking emotional. Haven shifted uncomfortably. He had no idea what he was suppose to do. It seemed like it was something he should probably stay out of, but he was also worried about Cherish.

_For fucks sake... _He thought to himself.

"Cherish, those men deserved to die anyway." He wish he hadn't said anything as Cherish shot a glare his way.

"Thanks Haven. That totally doesn't help with the nightmares I'll be having for the next year." She stated flatly.

She unbuckled and turned in her seat. She climbed over the back and sat next to her little sister. She wrapped Chloe into her chest and rocked the girl back and forth, comforting her.

"Shh... You safe now... no one is going to hurt you. You're with me and I'll figure our what we're gonna do. I won't send you back to that prison." She whispered as Chloe clung to her.

"Okay." She squeaked out.

The rest of the way back was silent save for the girl's sobs of relief against her big sister's chest. By the time they got back the Black Doves had taken the stage. Deimeon's voice was a smooth as satin as he worked the excited crowd with seductive ease. Chloe straightened out her short skirt as she suddenly felt as messed up and dirty as she looked.

"Go take a shower Chloe. Lily!" Cherish hollered.

Lily turned to see Cherish then Chloe. She bounded forward and gave the young girl a tight hug. She couldn't believe she was here. She had not expected to see Chloe until the girl was old enough to move out of her parent's house.

"Oh my goodness Chloe." She said excitedly. "It's been forever."

"Will you take her to your room and let her take a shower. Maybe give her some clothes to wear until I can take her shopping." Cherish asked.

"Yeah sure." Lily turned to Chloe. "Come on, Hun"

Chloe looked back at Cherish with thankful green eyes and then followed after Lily. Chloe was grateful for another familiar face. Haven rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He was suddenly filled with arousal as he thought of Cherish wielding those blades with unexpected ferocity.

"Uh...so...that's your little sister huh? You guys...uh...have a bad history or somethin'?"

"Not really a bad history. Just bad parents/" Cherish responded, wiping some more blood off on her skirt. "Excuse me." She whispered, heading for the bathroom. Haven watched her go and sighed in disappointment.

_Smooth move Haven. _He thought to himself. _You're a real lady killer. _

Haven wasn't used to flirting. In fact, he didn't know how to do it well at all. He was used to buying all his women. He wandered over to the chair where the Suicide Angels were relaxing after their set. He flopped down and sighed heavily. The rest of the night flew by and before Haven knew it, they were back on the road.


	10. Chapter 10

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 10

They had arrived at the next venue earlier. Everyone was taking it easy, just kicking back hanging out. Flare was lounging in a big lazy boy leather chair. Her back was resting against the arm rest. Her legs over the other one.

She had her sketch book in her lap with a pencil in hand. Wes Merritt was lounging on the couch across the room, staring at nothing. His head was resting on the cushions. His right arm was relaxing across his chest and the left hung off the couch.

He had his right leg bent, foot on the seat cushion, leaning against the back casually. His left leg was like his left arm. He looked content and perfect. Flare couldn't stop herself from picking up her pencil and drawing him.

He wore black biker boots with spikes that crossed over his toes. He had on black tight pants that had a hole in the knee. He was sporting a fish net shirt covered his muscular chest. The chain that connected his nipple piercings was seen through his shirt.

She studied him. She turned her attention back to her paper. She made some changes to his face then went back to filling in the background. She would glance up occasionally to look at him and then went back to adding details.

Wes was slowly beginning to fade into sleep. Nolan noticed and walked over to the unaware man. He looked at his friend for a brief second, then left. He came back with a long string in hand. He slowly ran the string across the scarred man's face.

Wes swatted at his face before looking at his palm. He frowned and looked up at his friend. Nolan bolted away from him. Wes shot up from the couch, when he realized what was going on.

"God damn it!" He screamed.

He jumped over the back of the couch and gave chase after Nolan. They ran past Deimeon who was helping Kitty move some of her equipment. As if by routine, Deimeon lifted the box and let the two run by. He continued without a word or expression as he followed Kitty. Chloe walked past Flare and had to stop as she caught sight of the drawing.

"Hey, that's really good. Although I think you could have picked a different subject." By this time Chloe knew all about Wes. He had even threatened to slice her throat once.

"Nah, I think he's the perfect subject." Flare answered nonchalantly. "He has a lot of different sides to his personality and it's a real challenge to catch them all on paper. He's beautiful in his own different way."

"Spoken like a true artist." Chloe smiled.

Wes returned. His face contorted in rage as his hunt for Nolan clearly a failure. He flopped back onto the couch and glared at the two girls across the room. He was already edgy and the fact that they were looking at him irritated him.

"What the fuck are you two staring at?" He snapped. "You wanna take a fucking picture?" Chloe shifted nervously, before looking away, suddenly wanting to go look for her older sister.

"Hey Chloe," Flare said with a warm smile, ignoring Wes completely. "If you were to draw anyone here, who would it be?" Confused by her question, Chloe took a moment to think about it.

"I guess I would draw you Flare." Flare smiled brightly.

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"You're asking me that when your drawing Wes?" She giggled. "Your eyes are an inspiration in themselves. I can see a gleam in them that compliments that unbelievable color you have. But for all their beauty, it's almost like they carry pain with them as well. But it's a pain that's been confronted and put aside to relish in the beauty of your surroundings. You have made that clear in the pictures you draw." Wes frowned at the girls, who were ignoring him.

"Stupid females." He muttered.

"You're very perceptive Chloe." Flare flipped a couple pages in her book as she stood. She wrote 'Love Flare' and ripped out one of the pictures she had drawn earlier while they were on the bus. She handed it to Chloe. "This is how I see you."

Chloe beamed as she looked it over. It was an amazing portrait of her on the bus. Every detail was carefully added. Her features were vivid. Her hair was highlighted in detail along with her clothes. The shadows of the picture depicted perfectly.

"Thank you." She stated sincerely.

Chloe left Flare alone once more. Wes crossed his arms. He couldn't help but be a little curious about what Flare was doing. He wanted to know what she was drawing in the sketch book of hers. Stupid girls. They probably drew ponies and other girly shit.

He laid back down on the couch and closed his eyes. He was fucking tired. He wanted to get in some shut eye before the next dickhead showed up to annoy him. Deimeon turned the corner and noticed Wes's sleeping form on the couch. His band mate looked so at peace. He couldn't help the smile that formed at his perfect lips. He was grateful to have his brothers safe and sound like this.

They hadn't been attacked since Lyndon got carried away and that was something Deimeon was relieved about, but he would never let his guard down, not by a long shot. Especially with the young Chloe added to their group, Deimeon would take extra precautions when dealing with the stray shadows from his world.

He needed to locate the portal where the darkness had come through. He needed to close it as soon as possible. If he didn't then the whole world would be over ran with the shadow creatures.

He glanced around. No one was paying attention to him, so he slipped out the back door. He walked around the building. He moved further into the shadows so anyone who came around would have a hard time seeing him. He looked around once more. The night was silent.

He let out a long breath and then let his eyes fall closed. He reached inside himself and found the dark power that usually laid dormant inside him. He tapped into a small portion of it. He held out his hand and a black portal appeared on the ground in front of him.

"Dark servant, come forth." He spoke with a firm authority.

Slowly, a tall woman rose from the swirling portal. Her black hair hung down to her tiny waist in loose curls. She wore a black leather top that corseted down the sides. Thick leather strings sewn through the material. Her skirt clung to her curves and the length was just past the junction between her legs. Fishnet tights ran down her long legs to her bare feet which had thick claws where her toes should have been.

The woman's skin almost seemed to have a blue tint to it. Her fingers ended in long two inch claws that glistened with a pale yellow. On her arms and legs were sharp fin like features and short pointed fins came from the sides of her head where her ears should have been.

Her eyes opened to expose a dark blue color that reminded Deimeon of the ocean. She flicked her knee length finned tail that appeared from under her skirt. She let a seductive smile grace her lips as she looked him over.

"Master. It's been a long time since you've summoned me." She sauntered to his side and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her large breasts against his chest. "When are you coming home?" She pouted. "I miss you." Her bluish lips parted as she licked them. Deimeon saw a flash of her fangs.

"Martiqa. Where is the portal that opened in this world?" She frowned and tapped a claw against his shoulder as she looked away.

"Is that all you want? What happened to the good old days when you'd pleasure me?" She separated herself from him and flicked him lightly in the groin with her tail as she walked away.

"Do you know or not?" Deimeon pressed.

"What will you give me in return?" She countered.

"Since when does the Master exchange favors with his servant." He growled.

"Since now."

"How about I give you a makeover with my claws?" She clicked her tongue and shook her finger at him. "Now, now, Master, you mustn't consort to violence toward the one who has only lived to serve you."

"You live to slut yourself."

"You never complained about it before."

"Martiqa," He growled low in his throat. "Answer me." She huffed and then slowly walked back to him.

"You've given up your throne as King, why should I tell you anything?" She said coldly.

"You're right. I have no right to ask you for information. I should have known better." He turned and started to walk away.

Martiqa appeared in front of him again. She wrapped her arms around his neck once more, but this time she added a leg around his waist. She practically straddled him in the alleyway, trying to stop him from leaving.

"Master, come home. I miss you so much."

Deimeon pushed her away. She screamed in protest as he walked away from him. Deimeon knew he wasn't going to get anything out of her so he wasn't going to stay around. Martiqa faded from the alleyway in a swirl of darkness.

Flare was grabbing a folding chair from the wall by the door when Deimeon barged in the door. She raised an eyebrow at his hard expression. She decided now was as good as any time to confront the singer.

"Hey Deimeon." She greeted with a smile. "I have something for you." She flipped through her sketch book.

He resisted the urge to growl at her. He was not in a good mood. Especially now that he knew it would be harder to find out where the Nemendu's were coming from. If he didn't find out soon, something worse could crawl out of there and put the whole world in danger.

"Can it wait?" He snarled unintentionally.

"No." She replied, not bothered by his tone.

She held up a picture she had drawn of him when he had been singing on stage the other night. He had the microphone against his lips. His trench coat flaring out around him. His leather clad legs slightly apart and his free hand running along his naked chest.

His emerald eyes were hooded with a sexed up expression. It was one of the best drawings she had ever done and caught Deimeon in his natural environment. She was extremely happy with the way it turned out and it was one of her favorites.

Deimeon took the drawing. He was really shocked. He hadn't known the girl could draw, let alone, that she was this good. If she wasn't a musician, she would have made an amazing artist.

"Wow, Flare." The harshness of his voice was gone. "I'm actually really flattered. Thank you. You're pretty talented. It looks just like me." He smiled at her. "Although, I'd think the real thing looks even better."

She smiled back at him. She flipped the paper around and watched him closely. She had now revealed the best she had remembered seeing in the storage room at the last venue. She wanted to know if she wasn't crazy or if it really was Deimeon.

"Does this look familiar?" She asked sweetly.

Deimeon's eyes widened as he took in the portrait of the beast. Seeing himself like that made his anger spike. That was the form he was so ashamed of. That was the side of himself he hated seeing. How dare she show him the ferocious beast that shared his consciousness.

How could Kitty be with anyone like him?

He snatched the picture away. It burst into flames as he inadvertently cast a fire spell. He roared at her, baring his fangs. He felt his eyes change from catlike slits to beady pupils. He pinned her against the wall in an instant.

"How dare you!" He snarled in her face. "How dare you show that to me." His voice was distorted by his thundering growls.

Flare glared at him. A part of her ached seeing something she had put so much time and effort into drawing, be destroyed right in front of her very eyes. A part of herself was put into every picture she drew. In a blink of her eyes it was now ashes on the ground. She couldn't help but be fucking pissed off.

"Relax Beast boy." Flare hissed. "I meant no fucking offense, but you can be an asshole if you want to. So put your fucking fangs away and go fuck yourself." Flare back fired, fighting down her tears of frustration. The beast began to take over his consciousness as his anger built up.

"You have no idea who you're talking to, human." He snarled. "I'll take your life and silence you!" Deimeon wrestled with his self control. "Shit!" He spat out. His grip on Flare faltered. "Get away from me. I... I can't..."

Kitty had watched the commotion between Flare and Deimeon. Her heart jumped into her throat. She stopped what she was doing and ran over to him. She placed a light comforting hand on Deimeon's arm.

"Deimeon... Look at me." She requested softly.

He knocked her hand away. He immediately regretted it. He needed to calm himself or he was going to end up making a huge conflict. He let his head fall forward as he stared at the floor.

"God damn it." He chocked out. "Flare, Kitty, I'm sorry."

He began to walk to the door that lead back outside. He wrestled with the beast inside him as he held a shaky hand to his head. Kitty didn't know what she could do. He was obviously at war with himself and she ached for him. She did the first thing she could think of.

She grabbed his arm and yanked him back toward her. She raised herself on her toes and kissed him, letting her warm tongue slid softly against his bottom lip. Her arms going around his neck to hold him close to her.

The warm sudden kiss sent Deimeon's senses soaring. The anger was replaced with lustful need in an instant. He returned the kiss, invading her mouth with his tongue. His pants began to tighten as his erection built. He forced himself to separate from her hot wet mouth and looked into her eyes lovingly.

"Sorry." He whispered. He looked over at Flare. "I'm sorry to you too. I didn't take that the way I usually do. I can't control myself sometimes. I've kind of had a shitty day." He held Kitty close to his body. "Don't suppose you have any questions for me?... And you can't tell anyone."

"I don't fucking care what you are, Deimeon!" Flare snapped. "I just wanted the truth. I'll forgive you when you give me my picture back. Oh that's right, you lost your temper and used your beast boy powers to destroy it and disrespect me. So you can take your apology, shove it up your ass and stay the fuck away from me." Flare glanced at Wes and saw he was awake now.

_Well there goes my opportunity to draw him asleep. _She thought bitterly.

She slammed the chair she had been holding, back against the wall. She turned on her heel and made her way to her dressing room, cursing Deimeon the whole way. She was starting to regret getting involved with the Black Doves altogether.

"Flare..." Kitty called after her.

"Not right now!" Flare snapped over her shoulder.

"Of course." Deimeon spat out. "I would cause this. How the hell is it you can stand kissing a monster?" He shook his head. He was being extremely dramatic and that really wasn't like him. "Sorry babe, I'm sure Flare just needs some time to cool off." He said with a short laugh.

Kitty stared at him. He was having all kinds of issues lately. This is not how Deimeon had acted the last year. Why was he suddenly so emotional and vicious? Something was going on. He just wasn't letting anyone know.

"I don't kiss a monster." Kitty retorted. "I kiss a 'man' I've been into for sometime." Kitty turned and made her way back to her keyboard to finish what she had been working on.

She put a slight sway to her hips. She wondered if Deimeon would notice. Part of her cared, but the other part pretended not too. She just didn't really know how to make Deimeon feel better and stop thinking like he was.

"Hmm, yummy." Deimeon said out loud to himself.

He couldn't help but lick his lips. Suddenly Wes was there next to him. He looked pissed. What a surprise. When wasn't Wes pissed or off his rocker. Deimeon sighed. He could only guess what it was this time.

"What the fuck did you do to Flare?" Wes demanded.

"It's nothing Wes. Just let it go."

"Just let it go Wes." He mocked. "That's all I fucking hear. Every damn day. Well, ya know what Deimeon! I'm gonna let it go! Right in your pretty face!" Wes punched him.

Flare was about to enter the dressing room when she heard Wes yelling. She told herself to ignore it, but curiosity usually killed the cat. She made her way back to the backstage area.

Her eyes widened in surprise when Wes planted a well aimed hit in Deimeon's face. She wondered what had set Wes off this time. She felt a little jolt of excitement at the thought of Wes sticking up for her.

"Leave him alone Wes!" Kitty yelled from across the room, but he didn't seem to acknowledge her.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" Wes demanded again.

"I did nothing." Deimeon retorted through clenched teeth.

"Bullshit!" Wes yelled. "Flare looked pretty upset to me!"

"Wes, calm down." Deimeon urged.

"Fuck off, you stupid slut! Does Kitty know how many people you've fucking slept with or is she as much as a slut as you are!"

Deimeon lost all control. He turned full beast and bellowed a roar at the other man. He pinned him to the wall and bit him in the side of the neck. Wes screamed in agony as pain exploded through his body.

"Oh my god!" Lily shrieked before she ran past Flare and locked herself in the closest dressing room.

Kitty ran toward Deimeon, but Flare got there first. She grabbed both of Deimeon's wings and pulled him away from Wes. She used the momentum to throw Deimeon back toward Kitty. She turned her back to Wes and dropped into a fighting stance.

"Cherish!" Drake yelled from behind Kitty. "I think you should come fucking see this!" He was pale and his half full Coke slipped from his hand, and was on the ground, leaking on to his shoes.

The beast roared as he spun around to face Flare. He had his claws out eager to strike. Pure blood lust in his eyes. There was absolutely no sign of Deimeon in them. Lyndon ran at him and grabbed his arm before he could strike Flare.

"Deimeon stop!" He screamed with tears in his eyes. "We're okay! We're all okay! We're safe! Deimeon stop!"

The beast lifted Lyndon off the ground and flung his arm around. Lyndon flew across the room into the television, which burst with an electrical burst upon impact. Lyndon collided on the floor unmoving.

Nolan ran to Lyndon's side and knelt down next to him, intending to protect him. Wes began to regain his footing as the beast knocked Flare away with his wing. Wes shot to his feet and tackled the beast. They tumbled past Kitty, into the wall. Haven came on the scene next after hearing the roars. He cursed loudly and pulled out his gun.

Kitty panicked. She didn't know why, but she knew Haven was going to shoot Deimeon. She ran to Wes and their singer, tearing the bassist away. She dropped to her knees and replaced his body with hers, so she was pressed tightly against Deimeon.

"It's okay baby. Everything is okay." She whispered, then kissed him.

It seemed to work all the other times, so she prayed that it would work now. The beast seemed to hesitate against here. She couldn't help but hold her breath in anticipation. Please Deimeon come back.

"K...Kitty..." He growled, barely audible. He dug his claws in her arms. His grip shook with uncertainty.

The clap of gunfire rang out through the building. The beast threw it's head back as it roared with pain. Tears streamed down his face, then he turned his attention fully on Haven. He threw Kitty down and charged Haven with inhuman speed. Haven unloaded the clip into the raging beast without much success in slowing the creature.

Before Haven was even able to blink, the beast had him pinned to the ground. Claws blazed across Haven's chest, slicing in deeply. Nolan was the next to react. He had to help Haven. He charged the beast full force and tackled him. The force only momentarily stunned Deimeon. He grabbed Nolan by the neck and threw him up into the ceiling where the man collided into the catwalk. Nolan grunted in pain as he fell from the height and slammed into the ground.

Wes charged the beast once more with his pocket knife drawn and buried it deep into Deimeon's chest. The beast screamed, as he threw Wes away from him.

"Everyone stop!" Kitty screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone froze and looked in her direction. "Back the fuck off and let me deal with this. He is going to kill you all, but he won't hurt me." Kitty yelled, tears streaming down her face from the pain in her body. She had hit the ground hard. "Drake, I need you to move slowly and get me five raw thawed steaks, but don't move until I have his full attention." She turned to Deimeon and purred softly. "Deimeon... Come here baby. They're not worth your time." She continued to move toward him at a steady slow pace. "I'm the one you really want, isn't that right?"

The beast looked away from Kitty as Drake moved around the room and Cherish came in with a gun in hand. The beast tensed and hissed, ready to strike. Kitty took another big step toward him.

"Deimeon!" She barked with a hard edge to her voice. "Stay with me." Her voice a little softer this time.

The beast's breaths were uneven again as his attention snapped back to Kitty. He approached her, closing the distance between them. He grabbed Kitty in a fierce hold. He bared his fangs and aimed for her jugular, intent on ripping it clean from her neck. The beast continued to cry.

Kitty tensed when he grabbed her, then forced her body to relax. She slipped her hand into his soft black locks and rubbed her fingers along his scalp in a soothing motion. She let her small body mold to his, hoping the heat would remind him of her.

"You can bite me if you need too." She whispered in his ear, kissing it softly. She held her hand up to everyone in the room, making sure no one moved. "I'm not scared Deimeon. I love you."

The beast's teeth scraped her skin before he withdrew. He then held Kitty closer to himself and hissed against her ear. The warm scent of vanilla filled his nostrils. The beast began purring deep in his throat. He rubbed his cheek against her hair and wrapped his wings around them, cuddling Kitty gently.

"No...fuckin'...way." Haven whispered. He vision began to blur. He knew he didn't have much time left in this world. "D...I hope... you don't... blame...yourself." The darkness took over his vision.

Wes collapsed to his knees and breathed a sigh of relief. Deimeon had calmed down. Nolan groaned in the hallway as he slowly came to, but Lyndon hadn't moved since he landed.


	11. Chapter 11

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 11

Cherish took a moment to take in everything that was going on around her in a stunned silence. Deimeon had lost control and attacked everyone. Almost everyone in the room was injured except for her and Drake. She swallowed hard. She scanned her eyes over everyone to see what the damage was.

Lyndon was lying motionless in front of the broken television. Nolan was groaning in the hallway and she could tell by the sound that he was in immense pain. Wes was cringing every few seconds as he shifted uncomfortably. Flare was leaning against the wall breathing hard. Haven was lying in a pool of his own blood and it looked like he was fading fast.

"Oh no." She whispered. Forgetting about Deimeon altogether. She ran over to Haven. "Don't you die on me you son of a bitch." She told him frantically.

She pulled her shirt off and pressed it to the wounds on his chest. She applied as much pressure as she could. She had to try to stop the bleeding. She wish she had her medical bag.

Deimeon's wings retracted into his back and disappeared. He began to return to his normal state. He still clung to Kitty with an almost desperate grasp. His anger slowly began to subside along with the beast.

"Can you save him?" Wes asked, taking off his own shirt and handing it to the short red head.

"I'm going to try even if it kills me." Cherish stated taking the shirt from him. "Will you check on Flare please and make sure she's not hurt."

Wes nodded and went over to where Flare was on the ground. He offered her a hand to help her up. She looked up at him and offered him a small smile. She shook her head.

"I think I dislocated my hip. I need to sit here for a while, but thanks."

At that moment, Drake walked back into the room. He was carrying a plate full of steaks. He was stunned to see the scene. Deimeon was returned to normal, but everyone else was worse for wear.

"Drake!" Cherish snapped. "Get it together. Give Deimeon the steaks, then attend to Lyndon. He hasn't came around yet. I need my medical bag first, which should be by the refreshment table."

Drake snapped back into motion at his sister's demanding voice. He moved as close as he dared to the couple cuddled on the floor. He slid the plate of steaks across the floor to Kitty. He backed away slowly, watching Deimeon wearily.

Deimeon released Kitty and was on the steaks in a flash. He devoured them ferociously. Drake felt sick to his stomach. He turned away to go do his sister's dinner before he lost his lunch. Wes helped Nolan to his feet. Nolan coughed up blood as he gripped his side. He stumbled down the hall.

"Nolan?"

"Gotta... get to... Lily." Wes growled and spun his friend around.

"Are you fucking stupid? If she sees you like this, she's gonna freak out even more. Go sit your stupid ass down first." Nolan stared back at him briefly before reluctantly complying.

Wes moved back to where Flare was sitting and sat down next to her. A small form appeared from behind a tipped over chair. Chloe stared at Deimeon wide-eyed. Cherish saw her younger sister out of the corner of her vision. Shit, Chloe looked petrified. Cherish knew she needed to talk her down, before the young girl had a freak out. She glanced at Drake to see he had her medical bag. That was good.

"Chloe?" Cherish called to her softly. No response. "Chloe?" Still nothing. "Drake likes to bang sheep in the back of the school. Dad has to wear a jock strap to make himself look larger and mom whores herself on fifth and Blair every Friday night." Cherish told her.

"Hey, I fucking resent that!" Drake barked out in irritation.

Chloe burst out laughing. "Oh my god Cherish, I can't believe you said that!"

She wiped her tears, then looked over at her older sister. She walked over and felt sick at the sight of Haven's state. He had lots of gashes across his midsection and was bleeding profusely. She felt nauseous, but she had to stay strong like Cherish.

"Can I help, sis?"

"Yes." Cherish took the bag from Drake. "I need Lily. She probably won't want to come out. I'm sure she's worse off then you, but tell her Haven's dying and I really need her medical assistance."

Chloe nodded. She ran down the hall and paused. She had no clue which room Lily had ran into. Luckily, there was only two doors that where shut. She knocked on the first one.

"Lily?" Chloe asked. "It's me, Chloe."

"Go away." Came a small voice.

"Cherish needs your help. Haven is dying. Please come out. Everything has calmed down now." She looked over at Nolan. "And Nolan is really worried too. He needs to know you're okay."

The door slowly opened and Lily's face appeared through the crack. Streaks of tears marred her cheeks. Her eyes were blood shot. Her lips were swollen and red from crying. Chloe felt sorry for the girl.

"Everything's okay?" Lily whispered in a fragile voice.

"Yeah." Chloe answered in a soft voice, nodding. "Please... Haven needs you."

Lily opened the door all the way and cautiously stepped into the hall. She glanced around. Everything seemed calm. She swallowed hard and looked down at Chloe. She wrapped her arms around herself.

"Lead the way."

Chloe complied. She led Lily to where Cherish was tending to Haven. Chloe was convinced he was dead. He wasn't moving and she couldn't see him breathing. Her heart began to hammer in her chest.

"Ow..." Croaked Haven. "Need... Cigarette." Chloe smiled in relief.

Lily's face paled at the sight of him. She sank down onto the ground next to him and stared at the horror. Cherish looked grim and she knew by the look, how close they were to losing Haven.

"Chloe, hold the shirts to his wound with as much pressure as you can. Lily, I need you to test his blood and see what type he is, then test everyone else to see who all matches him. Take as much blood from them as you can."

"Got it." Lily answered, fear forgotten.

Cherish filled a syringe of morphine and quickly gave it to Haven. She threaded several needles and laid them aside. She got out her cleaning kit from her bag. She opened it. She pulled out several sterile wipes.

"I need another pair of steady hands." She demanded.

Nolan made a move to get up, but Wes rose to his feet first. Wes shot a look at Nolan and pointed a finger at him. Flare smiled at the display from the man next to her. He cared even if he wouldn't admit it.

"Sit your ass down emo boy." He snapped. Wes made his way over to Cherish. "What do you want?"

Cherish glanced up at him. Could she trust him? She decided she really didn't have a choice. She didn't have much time to save Haven's life. As it was he was fading fast and she didn't know if she had the skill to save him.

"This is how it's going to go down. When I say go, Chloe is going to move the shirts and I'm going to clean the wounds." Cherish stated, handing both Chloe and Wes a needle and thread. "When I'm done all of us need to close the wounds as quickly and efficiently as possible."

"Alright." Wes took the needle.

As they worked on Haven, Deimeon was slowly gaining control of his body. He remembered everything he did. It killed him inside. He hadn't been able to control the beast at all. His worst fear had come true. He had hurt his brother and almost killed Kitty.

He stared at the now empty plate. The only thing left on it was a thin layer of blood from the steaks. His hands were covered in the same crimson liquid. He felt the same sense of self loathing.

"No... Damn it, no." He whispered. His mother's words rang in his head.

_Be the killer I've always wanted. _

"No... I'm not like her... I... I..."

_You don't belong in this world. _

"I... don't belong in this world." He whispered, repeating the negative thoughts in his head. "I don't belong here. I'm a monster." His bloody hands shook. "A fucking monster."

Kitty moved forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Deimeon. She started rocking him back and forth slowly. She kissed every inch of his face, trying to calm him. She hated seeing him like this. She didn't know how to take that kind of pain away.

"You're not a monster, Deimeon. You belong here. Right here with me, wrapped in my arms." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "I love you Deimeon. Please don't do this to yourself."

He turned to her, a look of astonishment on his face. Kitty's soft words ran true in his ears and brought him out of his self destructive thoughts. His eyes watered as he looked her over. Those beautiful green eyes looked up at him with love and serenity. He was moved by this one girl and her enormous heart.

"Kitty," He spoke softly. "You have no idea how much it means to me. To know that you care from me regardless of what I am. Hell, I spent the last five months trying to figure out how to tell you about myself because I wanted to be with you. I didn't think you'd except me. I didn't want you to be afraid of me."

"I love being with you. I love your presence. I love your laugh. I love your smile..." He paused as he fought back the tears that hadn't fallen yet. "I love everything about you Kitty. Now that you have seen me for what I truly am and still have a place in your heart for me, that makes me feel like the luckiest person in the world. I'm glad you found me Kitty Star. You will always be in my heart forever. I love you too." Deimeon kissed her softly and smiled lovingly at her. "I dedicate myself to you and only you until the day I die or you ever see me unfit to be with you."

"I'm so... um... sorry to interrupt, but Kitty, I... uh... need to test your blood." Lily stuttered, trying not to notice Deimeon.

"Oh, go ahead." Kitty offered her arm and a comforting smile.

Deimeon watched the young girl for a moment, then remembered Haven. He stood up and wiped his hands on his black trench coat. He glanced over at the small group surrounding his manager.

"What can I do to help him?"

"Nothing." The quiet and usually sweet Lily, hissed. "You stay away from him."

"Lily, knock it off. It's not his fault." Kitty retorted, getting defensive of Deimeon.

"Sorry." Lily mumbled, but refused to look at the man next to Kitty.

"It's okay. I understand." Deimeon offered a weak smile. "Look, I'll stay back if that's what makes you more comfortable, but that's my best friend out there. I'm the one that caused it. I'd like to do what I can."

"Deimeon!" Cherish called. "I need you to put Flare's hip back into place. Can you do that for me?" She asked, not pausing in her stitching.

Haven's breath was shallow, but at least he was still breathing. They had almost closed all the wounds up between the three of them. Cherish glanced at Wes. He was bent over Haven with a look of concentration.

His hands were steady and sure as he moved them to close the claw mark. He didn't look like he was enjoying it at all. Just pure concentration. That's when she realized he cared. Cared about all the Black Doves.

Deimeon walked over to Flare. He was unsure just what she thought of all this. He knew he was definitely not on her good side at the moment. He hoped that she would let him help her and not be stubborn about it.

"May I?" He offered as he knelt down next to her.

Flare eyed him cautiously. She was still irate with him even more so now after he took a chunk out of Wes' neck. Her eyes narrowed. She really didn't want his hands on her, let alone have him help her. He couldn't even help himself.

"Keep your fangs to yourself beast boy and give me your belt." She growled.

"I owe you an apology." He started to pull his belt off. "I hope I can make it up to you somehow. Or at least try and be on good terms with you."

"Just do it." Flare snapped snatching his belt out of his hand.

She put it to her mouth and bit down hard on the leather. She braced herself, knowing this was going to hurt like a bitch. He felt the area around her hip where it had been dislocated. He braced one hand against the dislocation and the other on her thigh. With a quick jerk, while applying pressure, the joint popped into place with a sickening crack.

The scream that Flare let out, echoed through the room. Her vision faded out for a second as intense pain exploded through her body. She felt tears slid down her cheeks. Her eyes were firmly shut. Short bursts of pained breaths released from her nose. She had almost bit clear through the leather in her mouth.

"Mother fucker." She panted out weakly as the belt dropped into her lap, followed by a loud sob.

"Actually," Said Deimeon. "That's one pussy I wouldn't go after."

Flare rolled her eyes and unsteadily rose to her feet, bracing herself against the wall. She took deep uneven breaths, fighting back a wave of nausea. She waited for a second until her world stopped swimming.

"Can I help you Flare?"

"Back the fuck off." She hissed, then on wobbly feet made her way over to Wes' side.

She grabbed the cleaning kit and bandages. She gently cleaned the wound on his neck, cringing at the jagged marks on his neck. Luckily, they weren't too deep. Wes only glanced at her briefly before returning his attention back to Haven. He had completely forgotten about the neck wound he had.

"This is my fucking fault." Wes said bitterly. "I know better, but I'm too much of an ass. Now, Haven's probably gonna bled out."

"Relax." Cherish reassured him in a steady voice. "Haven is going to survive."

"Thank you for sticking up for me." Flare whispered in his ear so only he could hear. Her lips sliding against his earlobe as she pulled back. "If Cherish says he'll survive then he will. Cherish doesn't lie."

"Everyone lies." Wes responded venomously.

Cherish was working on the last wound. Chloe and Wes were done, waiting for their next orders. She scanned the room for Lily. She was drawing blood from Drake. Lyndon still hadn't come too and that worried Cherish.

"Does Lyndon have a pulse?" She asked.

"Yes." Drake responded.

"Count the beats, please." She ordered. "Lily, I'm going to need that blood." She closed the wound and tied it off. "Go ahead and bandage him up, Chloe."

Cherish pulled out an IV and set it up in Haven's arm. She elevated Haven's head up on a pillow from the couch and his arm on her lap. She handed Chloe the bandages and some surgical tape.

"Here Cherish. Drake was the only one who matched up." Lily informed her. "I took as much as I could from him."

Cherish nodded and took the IV bag from her. She hooked it up to Haven. She gave it back to Lily. She put her fingers to his pulse on his wrist and watched her watch closely.

"Open the valve." She instructed Lily.

Deimeon watched in fascination at Cherish's clear ins instruction and calm demeanor as she tended to Haven. He couldn't help but feel blessed that she had some medical training or Haven would be dead by now. He looked up at Wes, who held his gaze.

"I'm sorry, my brother." Deimeon said softly.

"Shove it up your ass." Wes replied and continued watching the drama unfold in front of him as he moved closer to Flare.

Nolan joined the group feeling achy. A constant pain plagued his chest. He did his best to hide it and stood up straight even though it hurt like hell. He tried to ignore it. He was just as worried about Haven as everyone else.

"Nolan." Deimeon inquired. "I'm sorry. I hope you're okay."

"Fine." Nolan mumbled. "Don't feel bad Deimeon... We all care about you, no matter what."

Deimeon smiled at the quiet man and squeezed Kitty's hand. He looked over at Lyndon, who still hadn't moved. Drake was near him, fingers pressed to the soft skin of his neck. Lyndon looked like he was still breathing, but that still didn't mean anything. Deimeon wanted to help Lyndon, but he wasn't really good with the whole medical stuff. He didn't want to walk over there and risk Cherish yelling at him. The five foot nothing woman scared him.

"Pulse is ninety." Drake called out.

Cherish let out a sigh of relief. That meant Lyndon was at least out of immediate danger. She could focus fully on Haven. She glanced at the IV. It was almost empty. Haven had yet to retain his color and his pulse was still extremely weak.

"Fuck." She muttered.

She picked up the blood tester Lily had set down next to her. She prayed her blood type was the same or they were going to lose Haven. She pricked her finger and waited impatiently for the device to give her the verdict.

The device beeped and she read the results. She matched. Intense relief slid through her body as she reached for another IV. She hooked it up to the crook of her arm. She started unhooking the tube from the other IV bag.

"What are you doing Cherish?" Lily asked with a note of fear in her voice.

"He needs more blood and I also match his. I'm connecting us directly." The older woman explained, hooking the tube to her arm.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Cherish."

"We don't have a choice. He needs it now." She grabbed a chair and sat down.

She was frantic by this point. His heart was growing weaker even with Drake's blood. She placed her elbow on her knees and let her arm fall between them. She released the tie on her arm.

"Lily go tend your boyfriend. He has some broken ribs and they may have punctured a lung." She ordered, watching the blood flow from her to Haven.

Nolan bit his lip as the scene unfolded. His heart pounded in his chest. He hoped Haven would make it through. The fact that Lyndon had a steady heartbeat released some tension from the room, but it would still linger as long as Haven was in danger.

Flare watched intently as Haven's color slowly returned from a greyish blue to a peach. She glanced up at Cherish and frowned. The woman had paled to a pasty white. Sweat was beading her forehead as she concentrated on Haven's chest like she was counting his breaths.

Cherish's breaths were coming out in short puffs of air. Flare started to grow really concerned for the older woman. Cherish had been serious when she had stated, 'she would die trying.'

"You're giving him too much Cherish." Flare stated. The woman ignored her.

"Chloe, do you remember all those times you were my Guinea pig for all my health classes? Did you retain some of that information?" Cherish asked in a weak voice.

"Y..yes." She squeaked.

"There is an ammonia in my bag. Use it to wake Lyndon and then give him an exam. Make sure he's okay." She ordered softly.

"Cherish. Don't give up your life for him." Chloe stated. "I want you here with me."

"Just do it." Cherish retorted, flashing Chloe a hard look.

Chloe complied. She made sure to hide her tears. She grabbed Cherish's bag and went over to her older brother. He wrapped her up in a one arm hug briefly, then released her. Chloe opened the ammonia bottle and put a little on a clothe. She held it under Lyndon's nose until he jerked. She pulled it away as Lyndon's eyes opened slowly.

"Drake. Can you go get some pillows?" Chloe asked.

Cherish let out a sigh of relief as Chloe followed directions. She turned her attention back to Haven. Suddenly He took a deep breath followed by several others. The relief that slammed into her was so intense that she laughed.

"Fuck yes." Cherish giggled, weakly.

She ripped the IV out of her arm. A wave of dizziness hit her, but she fought it off. With a look of determination she dropped to her knees by Haven's side. She swayed a little but managed not to fall over.

"Someone tell me when a minute has passed." Cherish ordered to anyone as she pressed fingers to Haven's throat.

"Done." Flare responded.

A weak smile appeared on Cherish's face. She looked up at every single person. They all waited anxiously for her verdict. She was happy to tell them that Haven was going to make it. She looked down at Haven's face as a rush of joy swarmed her.

"He's going to make it." She whispered more to herself this time, then the blackness swarmed around her vision and took her.

Deimeon was the quickest on his feet. He caught her just before she landed on top of Haven. Deimeon looked down at the woman with an almost adoring look. This tiny thing just saved his best friend. Deimeon had a new respect for the woman.

"Drake," He called over the other man. "You may have to help your sis out this time." He turned to Lily. "She should be okay with another pint of blood and some rest. Can you hook her up for me?"

Drake came over and checked her pulse. He noticed it faltered a little but was still strong. God damn his sister was a fighter. She could be a fucking Amazon if it was for how short she was. He looked at Deimeon with a smile.

"The bitch could take on seven men. She's fine."

"If you're sure..." Deimeon shrugged. He picked her up and laid her down on the couch. "How is Lyndon?"

"Chloe, is tending to him. We'll soon find out. How's Nolan, Lily?"

"Cherish is right. He has a punctured lung." If looks could kill, Deimeon would be dead. "There's no way he'll be playing drums anytime soon."

"I'll be fine. Really." Nolan retaliated weakly. "I'll still play. Just gimme some pain killers."

The look that Lily gave Nolan could have melted ice. Her face turned as red as a tomato from her anger. She stood up and put her hands on her hips. She looked like she was a woman getting ready for a long ass chewing.

"Don't you fucking dare! I will put your ass in a wheelchair if you even try. I will cut off your arms, legs and you will never play again." She screamed. She turned to Wes. "You need to control your fucking rage. Because of you everyone got hurt. None of this would have happened if you hadn't been itching for a fucking fight. And you..." She said to Deimeon, tears running down her cheeks from her frustration.

"How dare you bring us here and put us in this kind of danger. You're a fucking monster who just tried to eat all of us and almost fucking killed your best friend! You should fucking be put down for the safety of others!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "I wish I had never met any of you!" With those words lingering in the air she ran from the building, Nolan close in pursuit.

"You moron? Sit your ass down!" Wes yelled, cutting him off.

He grabbed Nolan's arm, pulling him away from the door. Nolan swung his arm around, escaping Wes' grasp. He shot a look at Wes that was rare. It was a look of anger. Wes hesitated.

"Don't try and stop me!" Nolan snapped. "Lily needs me." Nolan bolted out the door after her and Deimeon sighed heavily.

"I'll go get them." With that, he walked after the two lovers.

Nolan looked around as he got outside. He saw Lily crying just outside a near by alleyway. He slowly approached her as he tried to collect his thoughts and figure out how to approach this situation.

"Lily? I'm sorry." He said softly. "I... I didn't mean to upset you."

Lily ignored him, turning her back to him. She had her cellphone to her ear listening intently to the other line. It rang four times then an elderly woman picked up. Lily's heart sped up.

"911. What's your emergency?"

"Yes. I need help. There's a man here." Lily told the woman through her tears.

"Lily!" Nolan swiped the phone out of her hands and hung up. "Stop this!"

"Stop this!" She yelled. "He tried to kill you. He is a monster and he hurt all of you. You're going to sit here and protect him. Are you crazy?" She screamed in his face.

"He cares about us Lily! And we care about him." He growled back. "We've been

through hell and back, together over the years and this is just another incident that we work out together." His voice leveled out. "Lily, we are a family. We are brothers. No matter what he is, no matter what Wes does. We stand by each other. We feel a bond between us that can never be broken. Deimeon has a good heart through and through. I've seen his soul, and though there is darkness there, that light over powers it. He can't help what he is. He came here seeking out a different life. One where he would be happy. He's found it with us. Please Lily... I want to be with you, but you must understand. I will never give up my family for no one."

"He's a good person who cares until he turns into a beast then he tears everyone apart." She backfired as a sob escaped her chest. "He can't... oh god, I think I'm gonna be sick."

She leaned forward, bracing herself on the wall and vomited the sandwich she had ate earlier. When there was nothing left to puke up in her stomach she continued to dry heave for several minutes.

She stepped back when she was finished and sank to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. The hysterical sobs took over and she cried harder then she had ever cried in her life.

"I wanna go home." She chocked on a hiccup. "I wanna be safe. I don't wanna be scared." She sobbed, rocking back and forth.

"You are safe." Nolan whispered. He wrapped his arms around her in a firm hug and kissed her head. "I will protect you Lily. I just need you to trust me. Can you trust me, Lily?"

"I was so scared." She mumbled. "I don't want to live in fear. Please, Nolan. Take it away."

"Lily, there's always going to be something in life that scares you. I can't do anything about that." He said softly. "But as humans we can overcome anything. Especially when we have each other to depend on for support and you can depend on me, Lily."

Nolan suddenly felt like his mouth was overflowing with saliva. No... it tastes metallic... or like copper. He swallowed hard. He couldn't let go of Lily no matter what. She needed him here for support. Nolan felt Deimeon's presence behind him.

I heard what you said Nolan. Deimeon mind spoke to him. I thank you, my brother. I'll leave you two alone.

Deimeon's presence vanished. Nolan closed his eyes and continued to hold Lily close to his chest for what seemed like hours. He was feeling weaker and was in immense pain. It was getting harder to try and ignore it.

"I don't know Nolan. I like you... a lot. I think I may love you, but I don't know if I can do this. I... I just don't know." Lily whispered, her sobs dying off into sniffles. "I can't think."

"Give yourself some time to think Lily." He spoke softly. "Whatever you decided I will support it fully. Because... no other girl has ever stolen my heart like you have. You're one of a kind Lily, and that's why...I... I think I love you too."

She sobbed at his confession. The words were so sweet on his lips, but the fear was too potent in her mind. She had to do this to protect herself. She needed to be as far away from the Black Doves as she could manage.

"I'm sorry Nolan." She pulled away and stood up, still crying. "You made your choice to stay with your family and I respect that, but I can't be a part of that."

She turned away and slowly headed for the bus. Each step she took felt like her heart was shattering This was for the best, wasn't it? God, she hoped so or all this pain would be for nothing.

Nolan watched her get into the bus without another word. He didn't regret his decision, but his heart still ached. He got up to leave. More blood filled his mouth. He couldn't swallow it this time. It wouldn't stop either. It just kept coming. He began to struggle for air. He had to make it back inside before he collapsed.

He didn't want Lily to worry. He reached for the doors and lost his balance as his vision blurred. His head felt light as pain continued to shoot through his chest. He hit the pavement hard. Nolan knew then that he was going to die.


	12. Chapter 12

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 12

Flare watched the exit, chewing her bottom lip. They had been gone a long time and she was starting to grow concerned. She wanted to give them their privacy, but something was telling her to check on them.

She knew her intuition was always right. She rose from her chair and headed to the exit. She pushed the door open to and found Nolan laying face down in his own blood. Lily was nowhere to be found.

"WES!" She called out in a frantic voice.

"What?" He came over and accessed the situation. His eyes widened and his voice became frantic. "How long has he fucking been like this!" He demanded. His face was starting to turn red with anger. "Where is Lily?"

"I don't know." Flare stated. "I just found him like this." She checked his pulse. He's still alive."

"Not for fucking long." Wes retorted. "He's got a hole in his lung. Where's the fucking phone? We need to call an ambulance."

"Deimeon! Call an ambulance. Now!" Flare yelled.

Deimeon looked up and didn't hesitate as he dialed the number on his cell and explained the situation to the operator. He hung up when the conversation was over and looked down at Nolan. Those things that Nolan had said, had he truly meant them?

Suddenly a form of light appeared outside the studio. Deimeon's eyes widened in fear and his heart sped up. The Goddess of Life appeared. Talpa. Deimeon pushed Wes and Flare aside. Stepping over Nolan, he ran out to meet her.

"No!" He yelled. "You're not fucking taking him!"

He knew the humans couldn't see her. But at this moment he didn't care how crazy he looked. He would not let Nolan go without a fight. This was his brother that Talpa was trying to take away.

"It's his time to go Deimeon." She answered, her melodious voice filling the air. "Let him rejoin me in the heavens."

"NO!" Deimeon was on the verge of tears. "It's not his time! He's going to make it!"

Kitty stared at the strange woman. She didn't know what was happening, but she did know that they were talking about Nolan passing over and that terrified her. She ran out after Deimeon, tears forming in her eyes.

"Please don't take him." She begged the woman.

"What the… You can see her?" Deimeon asked shooting her a look.

"Yes." Kitty answered looking back at him. "Can't everyone?" She looked confused by his surprise.

"No…" Deimeon's eyes widened. "Normal humans can't lay eyes on the Goddess of Life."

Kitty glanced at Flare and Wes. They were looking at them like they were crazy. She looked back at Deimeon, surprise evident on her soft features.

"Then why can I see her?" Kitty inquired.

"I don't know." Deimeon shook his head. "But I can't let her take Nolan."

"It is the law of life." Talpa cut in. "There's nothing you can do to stop it."

"Watch me!" Deimeon snarled. He ran off, picking up Lily's lavender scent in the air and following it to the bus. He opened the bus door with his powers as he charged in. "Lily!" He called out.

Lily looked up in surprise which quickly turned into fear. She started backing up slowly; ready to bolt if he attacked her. She was going to lock herself in her room and then jump out the window.

"Lily wait." Deimeon pleaded with tears in his eyes. "Nolan's going to die! He needs you! He needs to hear your voice. It's the only way I can think of to keep him with us."

"Wh…What?" Lily stuttered as his words slowly sunk in.

Nolan was dying? She pushed passed Deimeon and left the bus at a full sprint. When she saw Nolan on the ground, she screamed his name, tears falling down her cheeks.

She sank down next to him and put his head in her lap. She was sobbing. Her whole body trembling in fear of losing him. She leaned down and clenched him to her chest.

"Oh my god, Nolan. Don't you leave me." She yelled. "Don't you fucking leave me. I need you. If you come back to me I promise to stay with you. I'll accept Deimeon for what he is and I'll trust you to protect me." She kissed him lips several times, ignoring the blood on them. "I love you. Oh god Nolan. I love you so much it hurts. If you leave me you're going to kill me too." She wailed.

Talpa looked over the two with a blank expression. Her long flowing hair cascaded around her. Her sleeveless corseted dress, the color of pure white, flowed gracefully in an unfelt breeze as she floated over to the sobbing girl.

Talpa looked over at Kitty and smiled through her perfectly shapped red lips."I hope you are enjoying your new life Ayli." She said "Deimeon fought the darkness to bring you back."

The sirens were heard about three minutes before the ambulance actually pulled into the venue. Deimeon had exited the bus and was making his way to Lily's side. He watched the medics put Nolan on a stretcher and put IV's into his arms as they loaded him into the vehicle.

"Go with him." He told Lily softly. "Whatever you do, don't stop talking to him."

Lily nodded vigorously and jumped into the back of the ambulance with her lover. She picked up Nolan's limp hand and continued to talk softly to him. She wasn't going to lose him.

Kitty stared at the spot where Talpa had disappeared. Her brow down in confusion. Who as Ayli? Why did Talpa call her that? How was Deimeon connected to her? What in the world was going on here?

Deimeon came forward as the ambulance drove away with lights flashing. His look was stern and concentrated. He turned to look at Wes and Flare.

"Okay guys, we have fifteen minutes before our crew gets here and we have a concert tonight. Haven and Cherish are out of commission, so I volunteer to take this over." He turned fully to face Flare. "Can you play drums in Nolan's place for us?"

"I probably won't be as good but I could try." Flare answered. "What about Lyndon?" She reminded him.

"I haven't thought of that yet. We're just gonna have to wait and see how he feels when it comes time." He looked over at Kitty. "You need to do what you did for The Suicide Angels and take Lily's place. Will you have time to set it up?"

Kitty was still trying to make sense of what the Goddess had told her. She didn't even hear what Deimeon had asked her because she was too preoccupied.

"Kitty." Deimeon said in a stern voice.

She snapped her head up and looked straight at Deimeon. For some reason there was an unfamiliar ache in her chest. She couldn't seem to shake.

"Yeah." She whispered. "What do you need?"

"I need you to do what you did at the first show we played. I need you to take Lily's place. Can you do that?"

"I can do the background sounds, but I won't be able to play her bass line." She informed him.

"We'll leave that to Wes." Deimeon responded. He walked through the door to the backstage, commanding everyone's attention with a powerful aura. "We have a show to do everyone." He said. "Let's move the injured and weak to Cherish's dressing room and prepare for the crew. The show must go on."

The concert went smoother than Deimeon thought it would. Lyndon even played guitar as normal even though he suffered from a concussion. Deimeon called the other venues and organized postponing their shows for a few days. It gave Cherish, Haven, Lyndon, and Nolan time to recover.

Because of what happened to Nolan, Wes seemed to be more on edge than usual. Pacing the stage after the show, kicking things over, calling the hospital every five minutes for an update, then more pacing and kicking. No one got in his way or told him to do otherwise. The scarred man was on a rampage. And who would blame him? His best friend was in the hospital, and whether he admitted it or not, he was concerned.

Eventually, good news had come to the brothers. Nolan had pulled through and came out of the ICU two days after intense treatment. By this time the bands had moved into the bus from the venue. Haven was the first to awaken from his injuries. It was in the middle of the night and everyone was sleeping. He couldn't remember much before he passed out, but he remembered hearing Cherish's voice in the darkness.

After checking on his own members, he walked out to the other bus and forced his way inside. Nolan was missing and he hoped he was in the other bus. He snuck in quietly. The bus was still and serene. Haven walked through the hall. He passed a door that was slightly a jar. He couldn't help his curiosity and looked inside.

Cherish laid on the bed, with an IV in her arm. Haven's eyes widened in a panic and he quickly made his way to her bedside. He made sure not to disturb Chloe who lay asleep on the floor in a sleeping bag.

_Please D. _He thought to himself. _Not Cherish. You didn't attack her did you?_

"She fucking saved your ass." A hoarse whisper spoke behind him. He turned to see Wes in the doorway.

"What the hell are you-"

"Seeing Flare." He said simply. "Cherish really put her neck out for you. You'd better be grateful for your pathetic life. She gave up half her blood so that you could live. And she stitched up your wounds." Haven looked down at his bare chest. He saw the clear marks sewn up from the attack. "You'd be stupid not to be with her." Wes said and then he walked off, leaving Haven to think over his words.

Wes made his way down to the end of the hall where he knew Flare's room resided. He entered her door and closed it quietly behind him. He crossed his arms as she worked vigorously on a piece of paper.

"You were in my room watching me sleep." He accused. "What are you? Some kind of stalker?"

Flare looked up startled. She hadn't even heard him enter. She was too involved on her most recent picture of Wes lounging in his bed with his shirt off. She was just about finished with the shading when he spoke.

"No… not exactly." She answered, but sometimes artists had to do things to capture the poses they wanted.

Wes gritted his teeth. "What the hell do you mean, 'not exactly'?" He stomped over to her and snatched the picture away.

He looked at it and saw his portrait. Only…. He looked good. He didn't look like the ugly disfigured demon of a man he saw in the mirror. He looked serene, with a hint of sadness. It looked beautiful.

"What the fuck it this?" Wes demanded.

"What does it look like?" Flare retorted as she put her stuff on the night stand. "You can keep it, if you'd like." She told him, watching him closely.

Wes wanted to tear it into pieces. He wanted her to see it being ripped to shreds in seconds, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he dropped it on the floor and stuck a pointer finger out at her face.

"Don't you EVER come into my room again you fucking stalking skank."

"If that's what you want. I'm sorry I invaded your space." She apologized sincerely.

Wes jerked in surprise at her apology. Why wouldn't she get mad at him? Why didn't she get all defensive like everyone else? What was this woman's issue? She was unlike anyone he had ever met.

"Well… you… better… yeah, that's it… It's my space so… just… STAY OUT OF IT!" Wes slammed her door as he left and stomped out of the bus.

Flare smiled as she rose from her bed. She picked up the sketch off the floor. She stared at it, running a finger along Wes' face. She was having more fun with him then she had anticipated.

Haven was irritated when he heard Wes throw some kind of fit. He was expecting Cherish or Chloe to wake from all the noise, but neither even stirred. He was kneeling next to Cherish's bed and resting his head on the side of the bed. He stroked her arm gently.

Had she really done all that for him? Unable to resist any longer, he reached out and touched her cheek with his hand. She was so soft and warm. Even in the dark, Haven could see her natural blush she had on her small face. God, she was beautiful.

Haven's fingers trailed up her face and he ran his hands through her silky red hair. He wanted to see that beautiful smile again. He ached to see her awake and okay. He missed looking into her eyes and see that glow of life in them.

He held her small delicate hand in his much larger and calloused one. He left a gentle kiss on her knuckle and laid his head down. He wrapped her hand close and inhaled her sweet subtle rose scent. He relaxed with a sigh and fell asleep with Cherish's hand wrapped up in his own. Her knuckle pressed against his lips.

Flare crept on to the Black Dove's bus. Kitty was sitting at the table drinking a mug full of Chai Tea. She smiled when she saw Flare. The other woman greeted her with a friendly nod.

"Hey girl. What's up?" Kitty inquired.

"Just dropping off something." She answered.

She made her way down the hall and stopped by Wes' door. She knelt down and pulled the sketch out of her portfolio. She slid it under the door and into his room. She stood up and made her way back over to Kitty.

Wes was lying in bed. He held a razor in his hand. It caught the dim light with menacing glow. He cut across the skin on his wrist and made another crimson line on his arm. He reopened old scars that had healed over. The hot pain shot through him and made him shiver in delight.

He watched the blood drain from his arm. A sound caught his attention and he looked up to the door. He watched a piece of paper appear from under it. It looked to have a note on it. Not that it mattered. Growing up without an education left him illiterate.

Wes got up from the bed and picked it up. He turned red with anger as he realized who's it was. He burst from his room. The door clattering against the wall as he went after Flare.

"I said stay away from me!" He screamed, stomping through the bus toward her.

Flare turned to face Wes. The first thing she noticed was the clean slice across his wrist. Flare's anger ignited at the sight of it. She pulled back and hit Wes square in the face.

He stumbled back at the impact. She shoved him, pushing him further back. She went into his bedroom and found the razor on his bed. She picked it up and turned to face him.

"You're pathetic!" She told him in a flat tone.

He tackled Flare with a roar of rage and they landed in a heap on his bed. He punched her in the face several times. The blood from his many cuts splattered on her, himself and the bedding around them.

"Everyone deals with the pain differently ya know!" He screamed quoting her own words. His voice shaky with insanity. "Now who's pathetic Flare? Huh?"

Flare threw him off her and sat up on her knees. She took the razor and made two long slices across her left arm. She then threw the razor at him.

"Each time you cut yourself, I'm going to do the same." She hissed. "And I'll know, you little shit. And you call Nolan an emo bitch. The only fucking emo I see is you." She spat.

"Why the hell would you do that? As if I'm that important for you to hurt yourself. Are you trying to share my pain or some garbage? Well you can't! You're just being an idiot. I'm not worth someone else's blood just because I'm in pain!" He grabbed her arms and dragged her over to his dresser where he jerked it open and pulled out two shirts. He wrapped them around her arms and tied them tightly. "If you haven't noticed by all the scars, I've been doing this for a long time. It's really fucking stupid of you to start just because you found out I'm doing it."

"Well I don't like the fact that you're doing it to yourself and I want you to stop. You know the repercussions if you don't." Flare hissed.

She tore the shirts off her wrist and threw them in his face. If he wasn't going to take care of his cuts neither was she. She went for the door. She was intending on leaving him there to do what Wes did best. Wallow in self misery.

"It's my choice to scar myself for you." She snapped over her shoulder.

Wes watched her, chocking on a gasp. He didn't understand this woman at all. She was like a jigsaw puzzle that was missing half the pieces. He felt so bewildered that his anger vanished. He was suddenly so tired and confused.

"But… I'm not worth it." He whispered distantly. "Why? Why the hell would you do all this for me? I'm pitiful excuse for a human being. My pain is my own. I deal with it the way I choose. Don't hurt yourself for me."

"Damn it Wes!" Flare said, tiredly. She turned back toward him. "You're worth it to me." She went to him and grabbed his face in her hands, making him look at her. "I don't mind bleeding for you when you need me too." She whispered. "Come to me. Don't cut yourself." Wes jerked out of her hands and shoved her away.

"I… I'll do what I want." His voice cracked. He was shaking for reasons he didn't quite understand. He gripped his head and wandered away from her. His breathing was unsteady as he paced the room. "I… don't want you. I don't need you. I don't need… ANYBODY!" He screamed the last word at the top of his lungs. Wes fell to his knees. His hands still tangled in his hair. "FUCK!" he slammed his forehead into the wall.

Flare sat down on the bed. She grabbed a pillow and launched it as hard as she could at Wes' head. She picked up the other one and did the same with it.

Wes did nothing in response. He just sat against the wall his forehead pressed against it. His eyes stared off blankly as he drifted off into his own personal space in his mind.

"Wesley!" Flare snapped a hard edge to her tone.

He still didn't respond.

Deimeon had heard the commotion and smelt the blood in the air. He wandered out of his room to check on everything and smelt the pungent smell of fear from the kitchen. He looked over seeing Kitty's concern clearly on her face. He made his way to her side and wrapped a comforting arm around her small lean waist. He pulled her into his chest.

"What's going on it there?" He whispered.

"I'm not exactly sure. Wes and Flare got into it because he was cutting himself. Deimeon… I've never seen Wes act this way with anyone. He's different… He treats her differently." Kitty told him softly.

Deimeon said nothing in quiet contemplation. Why would Wes treat her differently and how is it different? He listened quietly as the scent of blood filled his nostrils. His stomach growled in response.

Wes stood up slowly. He still faced the wall in silence. He didn't know what to say. Flare was so hard to approach because she didn't cower like everyone else did with him.

Flare watched him. She chose her next words carefully. She didn't want to send him into himself again. It got them absolutely nowhere and only hurt her to see him like that.

"There's other ways to deal with the pain and I'm offering you an outlet. I'm offering you an unconditional friendship. Let me do this for you." She told him in a soft soothing voice.

At first, Wes only answered her in silence. He finally spoke out in a soft voice that was low in tenor. That had a gruff edge to it. His voice was without anger for the first time in a long time.

"I… don't understand it. Why do you do this for me?" He began to dry sob. "You're… insane to want to give me this and expect nothing in return." He moved over to her and collapsed against her shoulder. For the first time in his life, he just wanted to be held. He actually wanted a presence there next to him to lean on. He was just so mentally and physically drained from all the anger and frustration, all that was left was a hollow sadness.

Fuck, what was she doing to him?

Flare wrapped her arms around Wes' shoulders and slowly laid back, bringing him onto the bed with her. She held him, running her hand lightly through his dark brown hair in a soothing motion. Her heart ached seeing him like this because she had been there once in her life too.

"I just can't help it Wes. Everything about you cries out to me and I can't help but answer the call." She whispered.

"You're a nut job." He stated softly. "Reaching out to others that are on the verge of insanity. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" His whole entire body relaxed as she stroked his hair lovingly. He sighed in contentment.

This felt good. Being in a loving embrace. It almost seemed like it warmed him on the inside more than the outside. Something he was not used too.

"Well if I die, then at least I know I tried my hardest… Can I stay with you tonight Wes?" She asked nonchalantly.

"I guess." He mumbled. "Don't know why you'd want too though. Now shut up and don't stop doing that."

Flare smiled and closed her eyes, continuing to stroke Wes softly. Before too long exhaustion took over and she fell sound asleep. Content just being next to Wes.

It grew silent. Deimeon couldn't shut his mouth. It was agape with amazement. Flare actually reached out to Wes? And didn't get sliced into ribbons. She did what no other member of the Black Doves could do. Break through Wes' solid defenses.

She must have been fighting this a long time. Since they first met the Suicide Angels probably. Deimeon looked at Kitty who looked just as stunned at he was.

"Do you think they're cuddling in there?" He asked her.

"I don't know, but a part of me wants to find out." She chewed her bottom lip. "We probably shouldn't though." Deimeon was already up by the time she said they shouldn't.

"Oh." He said disappointed. "Well, maybe just a quick peek."

"How about we be nice and shut the door for them." She told Deimeon, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"That sounds like a good idea." He said with an equally mischievous grin.

They snuck quietly to the end of the hall where Wes' room was. To their shock, Wes was laying with Flare. They were both sound asleep and cuddled up with each other.

Deimeon had to rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing the scene correctly. Violent, hateful, vengeful, unpredictable Wes was sound asleep cuddled with Flare. A girl he barely knew.

Kitty's face split into a stunning smile. She couldn't believe what she was seeing yet she was so happy to see Wes in peace. Flare must be something special to pull of such a feat.

"I just saw Wes get punched in the face by her and then he proceeded to make tenderized meat out of her. Now look at them. How can this be?" Kitty whispered.

"I have no idea." Deimeon answered. "Tough love?"

Kitty gave him a 'are you for real' look before she grabbed the door. She closed the two in the room , alone together. They deserved some privacy because god only knew how bad Wes would be teased and it would ruin all of Flare's hard work.

"I'm going back to bed babe. You coming?" Deimeon asked on a yawn.

"Let me guess, You're stay in my bed… again?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh… well you can stay in my bed, if you want." He said with a cocky smile.

"You haven't even asked me out properly." She retorted. "Good night Deimeon." She told him before disappearing in her room.

Shaking his head he thought, wow what a firecracker. He wore a smile on his face nonetheless as he entered his own room. He crawled into bed, naked and got under the covers. He laid there for quite some time. He tossed and turned uncomfortably. All he could see when he closed his eyes was Kitty's beautiful face.

Reaching into his bedside drawer, he got out Kitty's picture and reached down to grab his cock. After getting himself off several times, Deimeon drifted off to sleep. Kitty's picture rested next to his head.


End file.
